


A royal pain

by Chinchillaplum



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU 1700-1800s, Drama, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-08 06:41:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 85,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1930560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chinchillaplum/pseuds/Chinchillaplum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a land where trolls live, born with different bloodcolours and status a whole new turn will be taken. Only Highbloods of royal status are allowed to pick a partner and have the legal right to reproduce. Lowbloods are workers, Midbloods are helpers or objects and Highbloods rules the land. Three different castles with three different types of rulers share the land in three. The Peixes, The Amporas and The Makaras are the three royals and rulers. They pick what they want and get whatever they want. But soon the old traditions will be broken and a new system will be created. But how will the path look like? Filled with love, hate, blood and pain? Only one way to find out!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A new life

**Author's Note:**

> Ok! This may be one of my longest fanfic projects ever! But I will begin and finish it! This contains most of my OWN OTPs so if there is a ship you don't like or hate I'm sorry for you but if you feel that the story keeps you around then try not to think about the ship that much. The story will be a AU during the 1700s style or perhaps 1800 I don't know. But I hope you'll enjoy it.

The sun rose over Alternias dales and mountains giving the landscapes a fresh taste of the morning sun. The land was beautiful and rich on forests and beasts walking along the meadows. In this landscapes lived trolls, sharing the ground under their feet together. Yet a special spectrum was important to notice in this land. Each and every troll had a different kind of colour on their blood. Some blue others red. A whole scale of the rainbows colours and more was running through different trolls veins. Some were counted to be highbloods others midbloods and some lowbloods. That meant to spot the difference between each troll and where they were meant to be stated in the spectrum.

Warmer colours, such as red, brown and yellow were classed as lowbloods. Green, and lighter blue colours were stated as midbloods and indigo to the more purple scales and lighter were highbloods. Highbloods were royals and lived in castles making rules for their own kingdom. Highbloods could also be seen as horrible creatures. They were greedy, mean and took everything they wanted! They didn’t care if people they did not care about got hurt or if they split up families in their greed to collect slaves or treasures. Midbloods we’re nicer but preferred to not be bothered if it weren’t extremely important. They rarely left their homes if it weren’t a visit to the town or any other way to get food or supplies. Lowblood were warmer but cared most of everything to be treated with the respect they deserved! They cared for their families and the land they lived in and refused to stand back and get pushed over. Even though all this, most troll were the same. Caring for themselves but could befriend anyone.

A scream was heard over the forest as a younger hopbeast were bitten to death under a tree. A young troll female stood up and wiped some blood from her chin, proudly over the pray she just caught. This would be enough for breakfast she thought and tossed a dead creature over the shoulder and ran through the forest in high speed. She jumped over rocks and sticks, avoiding getting caught in bushes or hit by branches. After a while running through the trees she reached a small little open spot hidden away by trees and bushes. In the middle stood a house, not too small or too big but perfect for two. It was decorated with long vines growing around and over it, flowers covering here and there. Next to the house stood a shed made out of wood. It was pretty old and could use some do over. Outside the shed stood an older female troll with long black hair, a normal sized figure, long nails, and a blue tail was growing out of her back. She was hatching up wood for a fire and wiped her sweaty forehead after the hard work. Her skin was grey like any other troll and her horns reminded of a whiskerbeasts ears.

Soon the smaller troll ran up to her and wagged her own blue cat tail back and forth, holding up the dead hopbeast. The younger one’s name was Nepeta Leijon and she looked almost just like her older sister, except that her hair was much shorter and she was much smaller. The older troll, whose name was Meulin Leijon, smiled back at the younger one and nodded at the catch.

“Well done, little sister! We will feast on this in a moment.”

“I had to wait furr a LONG time befurr this creature would even let me breathe!”

“Well now you don’t have to wait any longer! Let’s get to work!”

With that the two girls walked into the shed which was full of knifes and blood. The shed was where they used to take their catch to flay and clear it on skin, insides and bones. The Leijons were midbloods by the colour olive green that ran through their veins and they lived alone in the forest as hunters. Meulin had become half deaf early in her life but still talked like a normal troll without much trouble except from the volume. But when it came to hunting she felt the vibrations of paws or hoof walking perfectly and had become a great hunter thanks to it. Nepeta had been practicing for a while and became better every day. The only problem with her hunting was that she was too impatient, so many beasts that had escaped only because she couldn’t keep quiet and wait for the perfect moment.

Nepeta tossed the animal up on the table and watched as Meulin picked out a knife and slowly cut up the stomach, reaching in to remove inner organs from it. Nepetas tail wagged side to side as she observed her older sister work with skillful hands to get their dinner ready. When the beast was flayed and cleared Meulin cut it into pieces and put them in a bag. She then gave the bag to Nepeta and told her to go inside and begin with dinner while she cleaned up. Nepeta nodded and ran out of the shed and into their comfy home. When she was inside she ran into the kitchen to get some hot water and spice for the meat stew. They normally ate the meat raw but sometimes it could be nice to spice it up a bit. Meanwhile Meulin cleaned up the blood and washed the tools she has used. Dry blood smelled too strong and it took forever to remove if it stayed too long. She slowly touched her neck and groaned as she felt the pain in it. She had overdone her work… Again…

After finishing cleaning she walked inside the house, kicking off her boots and stumbled into the kitchen where two bowls with fresh cooked meat were waiting. Meulins mouth was watering at the smell and sight of it and quickly sat down by the table to begin eating. Nepeta sat down by the table as well and began eating, chewing down the meat pieces quickly. Meulin swallowed and wiped her mouth. They weren’t using any cutlery and ate with their hands instead. She looked at her younger sister and smiled widely at her.

“Your cooking skills have become better!”

“Thank you! I tried to make it more tasteful this time.”

“And it sure worked out just fine.”

The two cat trolls didn’t say much more but continued eating until their bowls were empty and cleaned. Meulin rose up from the table and took the bowls to the sink, ready to do the dishes. She looked at the time and then at her little sister. It was time for them to start on their shores before they would head into town to get some supplies. Nepeta went to clean her face and came back spotless, ready to go. Meulin finished the dishes and then went into the hallway. She told Nepeta to get her boots and jacket on and then got dressed herself. Their jackets were green and matched their blood colour well. Meulin grabbed a backpack they could carry the supplies in and then locked the house after them. They then started running through the forest in quick speed, racing and laughing together in a playful way. Meulin was very playful for being 9 sweeps and Nepeta was 6 sweeps so it was normal for her to stay playful at that age. After a long run they made it to the town, near the lake where the fishermen caught their fish and sold it. There were also boutiques that sold clothes, food and weapons. Also books and glass and animals could be found here. Meulin made sure that Nepeta stayed close as they entered the town. If Meulin was honest she didn’t like to visit this place. She didn’t trust many here at all. She fished up a paper note from her jacket pocket and read what they needed.

“Hmm… First we need to pick up that shirt I promised you at Maryams!”

“Oh yes! I’ve been looking furrwards it all week!”

“Well lets go then.”

They walked down the path to a boutique with a big wooden sign saying ‘Maryams’. It was owned by a sister couple named Porrym and Kanaya Maryam. They had heired the shop from their mother Dolorosa who was now long gone. They made clothes and jewelries and sold them in the shop. They were midbloods as well but a bit higher than the Leijons with a colour of jade. They entered the shop and looked around. Everywhere was nicely made clothing, pants, hats, shirts, dresses, everything! Jewelries were hanging behind a desk, glittering in gold and silver. It was so beautiful and well made. Soon a young female troll came out from a door behind the desk and smiled warmly at the two cat trolls. It was Kanaya, the younger Maryam sister.

“Well hello there, dears. What can I help you with?”

Before Meulin got any chance to answer Nepeta jumped in front of Kanaya smiling widely and in jumped up and down. Kanaya blinked a bit before she let out a low giggle and shook her head. She was pretty matured for her aged and very talented at sewing.

“Hello Nepeta.”

“Hi Pawnaya! We’re here to pick up my late wriggling day present!”

“Oh, of course. Wait here.”

Kanaya disappeared through a door with a lovely red fabric covering it. It was there they kept their sewing room, fabrics and latest orders. While Kanaya were gone the two Leijon sisters took their time to investigate the store a bit. The store was not too big or small, average you could say. The walls were painted in a dark red colour and small gems and pearls were being held up by the paint and wood. It made the whole place look like a beautiful gem cave with treasures in every corner. The Maryams had decorated the store by themselves together with their mother as well. Dolorosa had been a wonderful lady who had the most wonderful talent in sewing, cooking, decorating and even singing. She had been a kind and wise mother for both her girls but had passed away in a horrible accident. The girls remained silent whenever someone brought up the subject of the death of their mother.

Meulin smiled and looked at a nice shirt with small golden stitches by the arms. The fabric felt soft and nice through her fingers and the pretty green colour was adorable! She was thinking about saving some silver coins for it later but by this time they couldn’t spend more money than they had for the moment. Not until they had hunt down more meat to sell on the trade later. Soon Kanaya came back with a little paper wrapped bag in her arms. She smiled kindly and gave it to Nepeta who only jumped in happiness, ready to rip the paper off and try on her new shirt.

“Nepeta! Not until we get home. I want it to be a surprise.”

“But Meulin!”

“No buts! Let’s go. We have to buy milk, a new knife and flour.”

“Fine…”

Nepeta mumbled and hugged the paper wrapped packet in her arms, walking behind Meulin slowly. Meulin smiled and waved goodbye at Kanaya before they left the store and walked down the town, heading to the grocery store. They went inside to get two bottles of milk, a bag of flour, some carrots for traps and some berries. They could pic the berries themselves but they looked fine and yummy so they bought a small bag for a quick snack.

While Meulin paid for the food her younger sister went outside and smirked as she saw some clucking beasts walking around on the other side. She immediately started chasing them, giggling as they yelled in fear and ran across the muddy ground. An older troll lady yelled at her in anger to leave the cluck beasts alone but Nepeta only stuck out her tongue at her. Nepeta wasn’t much for listening to scolding, unless it came from Meulin. Meulin noticed her sister playing outside and rolled her eyes, collecting the groceries in her backpack. But soon she felt the ground under her feet tremble a bit. Something was coming!

Meulin ran to the window and noticed several other trolls hiding, pressing themselves against walls or just lay low. That could only mean one thing! Some of the royal bloods would visit the town! Meulin felt panic running through her body as she realized that Nepeta was still out there chasing the cluck beasts! Nepeta giggled and almost caught a cluck beast in her hands but missed it. She made a little jump and almost caught it once again but bumped into something big and hard. She fell backwards and hit the ground, dropping her package. She quickly sat up and shook her head, staring up at a huge, muscular troll with long messy black hair, dark purple clothes and silver jewelries on his arms, neck and ears. His eyes were cold and almost stabbed the little cat troll through her very soul and she gulped loudly before backing up. It was the Grand Highblod himself. He was king in one of the three big castles in the landscape. The castle of the Makaras! Those highblood trolls had purple blood running through their veins and they had a life story by carnivals and funfair as well in their blood. They were also very strong, selfish and dangerous. The royal Makara family ALWAYS got as they wanted and when they visited the town, the village people feared for their lives more than anything.

The king glared down at her in anger while his guards, standing close behind him got ready to capture the little cat girl. Meulin flinched and dashed out of the store, running up to Nepeta and grabbed her around the waist before they stormed off in high speed. Behind them they heard the guard start to follow them but Meulin didn’t care. She was NOT going to let her sister get captured by those monster highbloods! The two Leijon sisters managed to escape the guards by climbing up a wall and hiding on the roof of a store nearby. Meulin panted heavily and watched the guards watch the area before returning to the king.

Meulin gave Nepeta a frown before she told her to sit up on her back to get ready to head home. They had to get their supplies another day because they sure couldn’t stay here now! As soon as they got down from the roof, Meulin hurried back with Nepeta to their house in the woods. She dropped her sister down on her feet and gave her the backpack, telling her to get inside. Meulin stretched and looked around the area a bit before she stuck in her head through the door, telling Nepeta that she would go for a quick walk to calm her nerves. The younger sister understood and instead tried on her new made shirt they had picked up at the village.

Meulin sighed deeply as she walked away from the house, down a meadow and into a little open plot under a low tree. On the grass were a pretty big rock placed that was painted with different types of blood from beasts from the forest. Meulin knelt down in front of it and sighed deeply. This was the grave of her very own mother, The Disciple! She had been a great teacher for her two girls, teaching them how to hunt and take care of themselves. Tears began to raise in the young trolls eyes as she thought back on the day when her mother had died in front of hers and Nepetas eyes, giving her own life to protect her children. It was still all there in her head!

She and Nepeta had just finished their hunting and were ready to head back home when they heard a panting noise that came closer! Soon their mother came storming out of the forest, bleeding badly with a blue arrow sticking out of her shoulder. She panted heavily and fell to the ground in front of them, crying as she reached for them. She then told them to flee! Hide in the forest and don’t come out until the next day! Meulin refused to leave their mother like this and tried to drag her with them but instead she received a hard slap across the face and her mother’s voice ringing in her ears loudly. She yelled at them to hide! To run! Meulin cried as she picked up her little sister who only was 3 sweeps at that time and hurried deeper into the forest to find a hiding spot. Behind her she heard her mother scream a horrible scream that echoed through the forest and then it was only silence… No feather beasts singing, no bees humming, no branched breaking… Only silence…

Meulin hiccupped and returned to the reality and looked down on the rock again. It was just lying there, marking the spot of her mother’s grave. They had later found the body of the Disciple right here… Shoot to death by an Indigo blood and his arrows… Meulin HATED highbloods after that. By taken the life of her mother they had proved themselves not worthy of her love or time. Not Nepetas either! She was not allowed to talk to Highbloods because they were not worth it! Only Low or Midbloods! The only trolls they could trust.

Meulin smiled and patted the rock once again before she suddenly flinched in shock and sat all still. Something was wrong! She felt it inside her, around her and in the ground beneath her feet! It was moving as if something or some trolls were coming closer! Meulin froze and took a deep breath, putting her hand on the ground and felt through the vibrations. Footsteps… from more than 10 trolls were heading through the forest not far away. Meulin couldn’t hear well but she sure recognized a special stomp that came in small weak bumps from the forest. It was Nepeta’s signal! It was trouble at their home!

Meulin quickly got on her legs and ran over the meadow and back to their hive in high speed, avoiding branches, bushes and rocks on the way. She didn’t matter what the danger could be or if she would be killed. She had to save her sister! Meulin flinched and stopped in shock as she saw her home, everything she and Nepeta had built up together being destroyed by The Highbloods guards! The same who had tried to caught them just a short while ago in the village. And they were trying to capture Nepeta! Meulin hissed in anger and grabbed a knife from her belt, throwing herself out into the crowd of strong trolls with weapons.

Meulin wrapped herself around a guard, stabbing him through the throat and soon got covered in thick blue blood. She wiped it off and ran up to the next one, who tried to shake her off but it was no use. Meulin screamed at Nepeta to run away but before the words could reach the younger one she was knocked out by a guard, falling to the ground like a bird hit by an arrow. Meulin gasped and yelled louder, trying to reach Nepeta but only got knocked down to the ground as well. She was being kicked, beaten and pressed down in the dirt before they roughly threw the both Leijon sisters up on their hoof beasts and left the area in silence. The last thing they did before leaving was burning up the house, shed and their entire belongings. Meulin hiccupped as she saw her home, her past and her life burn down and disappear before everything went black around her.


	2. Leave the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the Leijon girls to see their new home after beging captured by guards. They might also meet other trolls their own aged and closer to their bloodcolour.

After a long an uncomfortable ride through the forest, they had finally reached a long and big path. Meulin blinked slowly as she tried to see where they were heading but forgot about it as she returned to face her little sister. Nepeta was hanging on Meulins left side and was the one closest to the guards back. They were tied to the hoofbeasts back so they couldn’t escape or fall off. Nepeta was silent, tears streaming down her face as she was staring down on the ground passing by. Her mind was going through what just had happened in such short time… What started as a normal morning had suddenly turned into a horrible nightmare.

Her head was aching badly and her vision blurry from all the tears leaving her wide eyes. Meulin gave a sister a little bump to get her attention but she refused to look up or even give a sound. Meulin bit her lip and slowly moved herself closer to Nepeta, stroking her head against her sister’s short black hair to comfort her. Nepeta hiccupped and slowly tried to look at her sister before she returned to glare down without a word. Meulin blew her hair out of her face and flinched in shock when she realized that they were heading to a large, dark and elegant castle.

The castle gates were well guarded and Meulin could spot several Highbloods standing in every corner by the gate and the large rock mure surrounding the castle. When they entered the gates and the guards rode in on the castle yard they could spot a huge garden with dark bushes and fresh grass. Several stables were well built right inside of the mure wall and hoofbeasts of several kinds, strong and elegant were waiting either to get picked out for a ride or being fed. Meulins eyes moved from the garden to the stables to the whole area to get a good view of it. Nearby the right side of the third stable were a pretty big forge, probably the royal forge she would have guessed.

Meulin blinked as she could swear that the troll working in the forge weren’t older than herself… but it was pretty far away and she could be wrong. Before she could get another glance of the castle she was roughly grabbed by one of the guards and pulled off the hoofbeast along with Nepeta. Meulin hissed and tried to bite the guards hand but failed as he yelled at her to be quiet and the two sisters were roughly dragged inside of the castle. The troll Meulin had spotted in the forge had paused his work in sharpening a sword and had followed the whole thing that happened by the castle gate. He believed that the King had captured new slaves or ‘workers’ for his kingdom.

The young troll male that was working in the forge was named Horuss Zahhak and was 9 sweeps old, his hair was long, black and tied in a pony tail to avoid getting caught in his work. His horns reminded of an arrow shape and his blood had a nice Indigo colour. He was wearing a white shirt, grey pants and a pair of boots and an apron with a pocket of tools on the stomach. He removed his gloves and followed the new trolls being pulled into the castle with his eyes. He had a pair of goggles covering his eyes to avoid getting any fire sparks in his eyes during his work by the fire. Bending metal was a hard work and he was put through many risks everyday but what was there to do? It was his living…

Soon a younger troll, around two or three sweeps younger than Horuss entered the forge. He was shorter, had shoulder length black hair, one of his horns were broken off and he yet seemed pretty strong for his age. He was wearing about the same clothes as Horuss except for the apron and goggles. His name was Equius Zahhak and he was Horuss younger brother, working in the castle as a personal helper to the youngest prince and also assistant to his brother in the forge when he was needed. He greeted Horuss and sat down by his brother’s side, giving him company through his break.

“Hello brother. Is the work going well?”

“Yes Equius, there is no need to complain. But I can’t shake the feeling that more work will be marching in like angry hoofbeasts on a stormy day.”

“What do you mean?”

“Some new trolls just arrived at the castle. I believe it must be new slaves…”

“Oh… I wonder what the King brought back this time. I do hope he has not hurt them too much.”

“Equius, The King is a troll of high state and big power. He will do whatever he wants! We can’t say, do or even make our own point in any of this. As long as we stay focused on our work we will be spared and keep roof over our heads and food to eat.”

“I know Horuss. But that does not mean we can’t befriend the new workers. Or would it rather be best if we did not talk to them?”

“I don’t know Equius. We don’t even know what blood colour they are or how they are. Maybe it’s better if we stay focused on our job…”

“You’re only shy, Horuss.”

“Maybe I am. And I choose not to get involved in what the King has in plan for the new ones. And I don’t want you to either! Not after what happened last time you did!”

Equius sighed and gently felt the sharp and broken top of what was left of his right horn. It was a horrible day when it had happen and Equius tried to forget it every day but it wasn’t that easy when he saw the person who had done it to him every damn day as well. He shook his head, letting his black hair fly like a mane around him before he faced his brother once again. Horuss gave him a weak smile and rose up from the bench he was sitting on. It was now time to head back to work. The two Zahhak brothers smiled at each other before Equius left the forge to head back to the castle and Horuss put on his gloves again, picking up the sword and hammer to shape it.

Meulin coughed loudly as she was thrown to the floor in the middle of the throne hall. Before she even got a chance to sit up she was immediately pushed when Nepeta was thrown on her back as well. Meulin hissed as the guards who just stood around them, blocking the doors, guarding the whole hall without even looking at the Leijons or each other. Everyone had blank visions as if they were brainwashed. Not that Meulin cared what the hell was wrong with the creeps that had caused them so much pain, the only thing she worried about was if anyone of them would put a finger on Nepeta, and if they did she would bite them off in less than a second.

Nepeta sat up slowly and crawled up close to Meulins body and shivered as she explored the room. Meulins eyes followed around every corner of the hall. It was dark but lighten up by candles that was placed on the walls and in the ceiling. Dark purple flags hanged from the ceiling and a dark purple rug was placed on the stony floor. Meulin flinched as she noticed that it was small sights of dried blood in several colours on the rug and floor here and there. Maybe it would be for the best if she controlled her words to the blood of her and Nepeta wouldn’t join the collection.

Strong vibrations through the floor made Meulin jump in shock when it felt as if several big rocks hit the floor one by one in strong power. Soon she understood that it was footsteps. Footsteps from no one other than the King! Meulin hugged Nepeta tight as The Grand Highblood entered the room, big and feared as always. He sat down on his throne, glaring at the two cat trolls sitting in front of him, curled up on the floor like small squeakbeasts in terror. He was terrible and horrifying! He was huge as a mountain, muscular and messy. His hair was almost like a black river that was growing out of his scalp and down to his knees. His horns were long and sharp, reminding of a mixture between a goat and demon horns. He gave them a cold glare before a wide smile spread on his lips, showing sharp teeth and a horrifying laugh was filling the hall like a cold water wave sending chills down the sister’s spines. A guard stepped up to the King, pointing at Meulin and Nepeta and called out loud.

“My King, Here are the young troll maidens you asked for. We did as you said and burned their home down to make sure they have nothing left to return to. What shall they be put to do?”

A long silence was filling the room as it seemed that the Highblood was thinking. It seemed as if he had an idea but wasn’t sure if it was really what he wanted. Meulin hugged Nepeta harder as she met the Kings cold eyes, they were nailing her right through the head! She then gave him a hateful stare right back which almost made him flinch in surprise. The King gave another ice cold and horrifying laugh before he pointed his large hands right at the Leijons direction. Meulin and Nepeta held their breath when he yelled out the words almost knocking them over.

“WASH OFF THE DIRT OF THE CATS, DRESS THEM AND THEN BRING THEM TO MY SONS!”

Without warning the guards walked up and grabbed both Meulin and Nepeta and dragged them out of the hall, not minding if they screamed or struggled. Meulin and Nepeta screamed and yelled as they were dragged through a long corridor that seemed endless until they reached a room that looked like a laundry room. The guards pushed them inside and a few maid trolls walked up to them and removed their clothes, even them didn’t seem to matter the girls struggling. The guards walked outside, guarding the door while the Leijons were cleaned and scrubbed roughly by the maids who only seemed to matter the work they were doing. Nepeta hissed as she received a cold shower and a blue blooded troll made scrubbed her back roughly to get rid of some dirt that seemed to be stuck into her skin.

“STOP IT YOU MONSTERS!! *Hiss*”

“If you cooperate it’ll be over faster.”

Meulin frowned as the maids dried her and began brushing her hair. She hissed and bit her lip in pain since she wasn’t used to this treatment. The maids that took care of them had small curly horns and were both blue blooded. They seemed like twins, or sisters. They had short cut hair and were dressed in white dresses with blue bands in their hairs. As soon as Meulin and Nepeta were dried and brushed the maids went to give them new clothes. Nepeta frowned at the clothes in the maids hands. She then smacked them out of her hands and hissed madly.

“I want my old clothes!!”

“I’m sorry, but they will be burned. These are your new clothes.”

“WHAT!?”

“It's not our rules, it’s the King’s. Please put them on.”

“NO!”

Meulin frowned at her sister and decided that if they went with the maids rules they would be finished sooner.

“Nepeta! Do as they say…”

“But-“

“NOW!”

Nepeta frowned and allowed herself to get dressed by the maid and so did Meulin. They were dressed in clean white shirts with purple silk ribbons around their shirt collars, green shorts, a pair of place small shoes not made to run in and small bracelets were put on their arms and even tail. The maids bowed as the guards stormed back in and grabbed the sisters once again and dragged them out of the dressing room and up a stairway. Now they got a chance to see how the castle looked like from inside. Soon they reached the end of a corridor which led to left and right. Meulin and Nepeta flinched as Nepeta was taken in the left direction and Meulin the right. THEY WERE SEPERATING THEM!

Meulin began struggling, biting and scratching but the guards only slapped her to make her quiet and still. Meulin felt the tears stream down her face as she heard Nepeta’s frightened and angry screams echo in the end of the corridor. If they hurt her she wouldn’t have mercy at all on them. Soon they stopped outside a door that was big and beautifully painted. The guards opened the doors and threw the mad crying cat troll inside and slammed the doors right behind her. Meulin screamed and scratched on the door, yelling after her sister but they weren’t listening. She was now captured and afraid as on the day her mother had died. She sank to the floor and shivered at the thoughts of poor Nepeta. She must be scared to death by now! Whatever was going to happen now was not important, Meulin needed to get to her sister before it was too late!


	3. Purple and Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meulin meets more trolls around the castle she now will live in...

Soon the older prince was heading to his room. His hair was black and messy, long horns well grown out through it, a face that show signs of hidden secrets and a calm way of moving. His clothes were mostly a pair of black pants, black shoes, a white shirt with a dark purple vest and a silver skull necklace was resting on his collarbone. He had been informed that his new company pet was waiting for him in his room, all dressed, clean and ready to become his own. Even though he didn’t show any signs of it, he was excited. To get your own personal company pet was a big thing for young rulers. They were always there when you needed them, they would listen to you, follow your orders if you made any and never leave your side. It might have sounded like a matesprite or moirail but it was more of a friend and pet at the same time. A pet who would keep you company, as easy as that.

The sight that met the prince as he opened the door and stepped inside the room were pretty surprising. He quickly moved to the side to avoid getting a book thrown in his face. His eyes fell on the creature in front of him who hissed madly and screamed in a horrifying and angry way. Her hair was long and nicely brushed, her teeth were sharp and dangerous, her nails reminded him of small knifes and her eyes showed fear and death. She was dressed in a nice outfit including white socks, emerald green shorts, a white shirt with a purple ribbon tied at the collar of it. A long blue tail that seem to be a part of her own spine was showing and jewelries was nicely placed on her arms and ears. Earrings and bracelets with small emeralds that would show of her blood color, even though hers was more to the olive. She hissed at him and threw another book in his direction. The prince, also known as Kurloz Makara, moved to the side once again and avoided getting hit by the flying book. His room was completely upside down.

It seemed that his company pet was all out in rage desperately protecting herself. She screamed higher and ran around the room, tossing things around her and pushing furniture over and out of her way. Kurloz only watched the poor creature during her panic attack and sat down on his bed, carefully observing her every move. The poor troll was terrified and he didn’t blame her. He knew very well where she came from, that she was taken from her family and home, split from them and then locked in a room as a slave. He was not going to hurt her but waited patiently for her to calm down.

Meulin hissed and glared at the male troll across the room. He probably thought that he OWNED her now. Hell no! She refused to become slave to a spoiled sadistic highblood! Even though she was angry she was also terrified that her actions didn’t seem to make the other troll move, or even blink! He was probably only waiting for her to get tired and rest and then he would dig his claws into her! NO! That was NOT going to happen! She screamed and threw a vase across the room, which hit the wall with a crash. The shattered pieces from it rained down to the floor like sharp rain drops. She then became to claw the curtains and threw herself against the window. The glass was strong and hadn’t broken at all and she had been trying ever since she arrived in the room to break it. Soon it happened as she feared and her legs and mind refused to keep going and she fell to the floor panting all exhausted.

She slowly sat up and felt the tears rise in her eyes and she couldn’t hold them back anymore. After a second she was crying her eyes out and shook her head, pleading at the prince to let her go back to her family. She wanted to see her sister! She didn’t want to be a slave! She would rather get killed if she was never going to meet her friends again! Soon Kurloz slowly raised his hand to tell her to be quiet and calm down. Meulin sobbed and looked at him for a while until he patted the seat next to him and signed at her to come closer. Meulin didn’t understand why but she stood up and slowly walked up to the bed, sitting down next to the highblood. Yet she sat on the other edge, a bit away from him. She didn’t want to get too close to him.

She noticed how he smiled warmly at her and something in his smile made Meulin feel… comfortable. Kurloz was already fascinated by her in every way. She was good looking, no doubt in that! But it wasn’t only her appearance that made him interested in her. It was her energy and personality! She had something that he wanted to get to know better. Meulin dried some of the tears and hiccupped a bit, sighed and glared across the room. She was sure that he was only acting… She bet that he would start yelling at her soon for ruining his room. But nothing happened at all… He didn’t say a word, only smiled warmly at her. When the silence started to feel uncomfortable, Meulin finally took the courage to start a conversation.

“I want to see my sister! Where is she!?”

“…”

“You people haven’t hurt her right!? If you have, I’ll rip your guts out and eat them infront of your own eyes!!”

“…”

“Hello!? Can you even speak!? Or are you only testing my temper!?”

Soon the prince shook his head slowly and Meulin became confused. What did he mean by that? Kurloz watched her for a while before he slowly moved up his hands in front of her, slowly making gests with his hands. Meulin blinked and understood those movements from his hands. It was sign language! Could he maybe be… Mute?

“S-so… You cannot speak?”

“ _No_ …”

“O-oh. I’m sorry for yelling…”

Kurloz smiled. Finally he got contact with her! He started to sign more and told her who he was and where she was. Meulin didn’t get much chance to ask him any questions because he gave her the answers she was looking for. Then suddenly he mimed a question that she weren’t ready to received.

“ _You are deaf, are you not_?”

“H-huh!? Well… I am. Sort of...”

“ _I understand_ …”

“What is it!? Are you mad that you ‘slave’ is BROKEN!? Maybe you should TRADE me for another one who can hear you perfectly!”

“ _No. It just makes you more special_.”

“What? Special? I’m not special in any way! Please! I just want to go home with my sister again! I don’t understand why we’re here! Don’t you royals already got enough helpers and slaves!?”

“ _You are not a slave. You’re my company pet._ ”

“I’m your WHAT!? PET!?”

Meulin hissed again and stood up, furious about the comment she just read. A pet!? What the hell was wrong with those high bloods!? She turned to Kurloz again who began to sign at her. She didn’t want to listen to what he would say but he spoke to her anyway.

“ _It means that you’re my own special company. Like a friend who’ll be by my side for the rest of our lives._ ”

“Wait! S-So… I-I’m a prisoner!?”

“ _Not really. I’m sorry for this, miss. But it wasn’t I who choose you. It was my Father._ ”

“That horrible monster who sat on the throne when some of us lower bloods where dragged here!?”

“ _I would appreciate if you didn’t call him a monster._ ”

“I call him whatever I want! I’m NOT going to be your pet, slave or ANYTHING! I want my sister back and then we shall return to the forest where we belong and build a new home!”

“ _I’m afraid that’s impossible._ ”

“And why is it!?”

“ _You see, when a young highblood is bond to a company pet it’s for the whole life until one of them dies. We’re now bond to each other, miss. And the only way for a company pet to get free from the duty he or she is carrying is sadly death._ ”

“W-why!? That’s unfair!”

“ _I’m sorry… I didn’t make the rules._ ”

“But aren’t you a royal!? Can’t you change the rules!?”

“ _No… Not those rules. It’s an old tradition_.”

“B-but- What about my sister!? What about Nepeta!?”

“ _My younger brother picked her to be HIS company pet. Even though he’s too young to get one he still wanted her. She’s sadly a company pet as well now._ ”

“BLOODY HELL!!!”

Meulin screamed in anger and rage as she ran around the room once again, picking up things to break. Kurloz only rolled his eyes and slowly stood up, it was time for this kitty to take a catnap. He slowly approached Meulin who only hissed and tore the walls apart. Without warning Kurloz covered Meulins eyes with his hands, not caring if she flinched and struggled. In a second Kurloz eyes turned purple and flashed from a lighter to darker way. Meulin gasped and tried to get away but soon her head started to feel heavy. Her eyes betrayed her and her limbs went numb as she sank to the floor, resting against Kurloz. Kurloz sighed and stroked her through the hair slowly. She would learn sooner or later to deal with her faith. At least he had done it.

Meulin mumbled as she slowly sat up in the big and soft bed under her. She looked around the room and the memories started to come back along with a horrible headache. She rubbed her head slowly as her eyes wandered around the young prince’s room. Everything she had brake and tore down was back in place and the room had been clean from top to bottom. It had probably been maidtrolls here and cleaned the room while Meulin was out. She quickly looked around in every corner and even under the bed to make sure that the Prince wasn’t around. He was gone…

Meulin felt a bit relived by the feeling of being alone but quickly got Nepeta in her mind! She needed to find her sister! QUICK! Meulin slowly walked up to the door, closing her eyes to feel if she could feel any vibrations in the floor. No… No one was nearby. Purrfect! With a slow move Meulin pressed down the door handle and opened the door, peeking out. She looked down the dark grey corridor with purple carpets and burning lights on the walls. An uncomfortable feeling was filling Meulins body as she slowly tiptoed down the hallways, trying to remember the way she got here. As she slowly and carefully made her way throw the hallway she wondered for how long she had been out and how it happened. The headache was still there and it almost felt like it was a big black hole in her mind.

Meulin quickly stopped as she noticed two guards standing by the end of the hallway, guarding another door. It couldn’t be where they were keeping Nepeta, she was sure of that. The corridor didn’t look THAT familiar to her and she would know when she saw her goal. But how would she pass through these idiots!? Meulin was hiding behind a wall and tried to think of something quick! Then it hit her. She quickly took off her left show and focused on a window nearby. She then threw her shoe at it masking it broke into splinters. The noise caught the guard’s attention and they moved away from the door and ran in the windows direction. Meulin snickered to herself as she ran up to the door and quickly opened and ran through.

How many damn corridors did this castle have!? Meulin frowned as the hallways split into two ways but it seemed much familiar this time! Maybe if she went to the left she would get closer to Nepeta! Meulin began running in the left direction but stopped in shock as a new couple of guards came walking down that corridor as well. Meulin cursed as they noticed her and began chasing her. With a quick jump she managed to get through another door and out into a big hall. She flinched as she noticed other workers staring at her in shock before the guards came running after her again. The room seemed to be… the big hallway! She spotted the big stairs that lead down to the other floor and she could spot the huge castle doors! Great! Now she knew where to run after she had found Nepeta!

Meulin flinched as a hand almost caught her and she quickly dashed to the right following the stairs down to the first floor. Three other Highblood guards came running at her but Meulin took a high jump and stepped on one of the guards heads to get passed them. She stared at the castle doors for a second but she couldn’t leave now! Not without Nepeta! To avoid getting caught for the moment Meulin ran up to another door that was leading to the Castles backside. The guards where still chasing her but she managed to hide behind a few barrels that was standing against the wall. Meulin took a deep breath and waited for the guards to leave, probably to find her somewhere out on the castle yard.

After a few minutes of rest Meulin slowly crept out from behind her hiding place and looked around. It seemed clear to come out but she had to be careful. She slowly and carefully walked around the corner and saw the backyard of the castle. It was big and open yet surrounded by the huge stone mure. Meulin frowned and soon noticed another door nearby the castles wall. By the nice scent she could feel it was probably the backdoor to the kitchen! She smiled at the thought of food and slowly went closer. She carefully opened the door and peaked inside, noticing a big kitchen were food ingredients were waiting on a table near the oven. She smirked as no one seemed to be around and with a quick move she was down on the floor, stealing some meat from the table. She remained on the floor if someone would come around, no need to be standing up and showing just like that!

Meulin chewed down the meat pieces in hurry as she heard that someone was coming! She hid under the table and a young troll girl walked inside, around Nepetas age she thought. The troll girl had long black hair, a red dress with a white apron. She had rolled up her sleeves as she was standing by the table getting ready to chop vegetables. Her horns were curly and her lips had a nice red tone. Meulin could tell she was a lowblood with a red colour running through her body. The young troll sighed deeply and kept chopping the vegetables before a high shriek was filling the room.

“ARADIA! GET YOUR ASS BACK IN HERE AND HELP ME CARRY THIS BAG OF POTATOS!”

The young troll, who was probably Aradia, growled and stabbed the knife into the table, making Meulin flinched in shock. Aradia took a deep breath before she wiped her hands off on the apron and headed to the door.

“Coming Damara!”

Meulin could tell there was something different with them. She heard that they had some sort of accent. At least they didn’t seem to be from here. Probably *imported* slaves… Meulin forgot about her thoughts trying to puzzle where those girls could be from and quickly got out from under the table, heading to the back door. She quickly went outside again and decided to get back inside the castle by the same way she got out. Meulin hurried around the corner to head back to the door she had ran through before but bumped into someone on the way. Both Meulin and the troll she had knocked into fell to the ground with a thump. Meulin groaned in pain and sat up noticing a male troll around her age rubbing his face in pain.  
He blinked and looked up at her with a weak smile before he slowly got back up on his legs and offered her a hand. It was Horuss who just had finished his work and was heading to pick up his lunch by the kitchen. He smiled at Meulin again and reached out his hand to her.

“I’m so sorry, miss. I didn’t see you. Here let me help you.”

Meulin flinched as his hand came closer and with a quick move she sank her teeth into it, growling loudly. Horuss yelped in pain and yanked back his hand in shock. He stared at her in both fear and sadness. What did he do to make her so angry? Meulin rose up and slowly walked up to Horuss, growling and snapping after him like a mad wolf. Horuss backed all shocked up against the castle wall, fearing for his life as the angry Meulin held up her sharp claw like nails up to him. Horuss dug into his apron pocket and fished up a metal tool, waving it in front of Meulin in fear.

“S-stay away from me! I-I’m begging you!”

Meulin didn’t respond and growled louder before she quickly turned and ran off. Horuss panted heavily and shivered at the spot before he snapped out of it and slowly headed to the kitchen again, rubbing his hand. It stung and hurt badly after the other trolls teeth. Meulin on the other hand was running quickly into the castle again, creeping by the wall like the huntress she was. She was becoming frustrated! Where could her sister be!? This castle was huge and it was overflowing with guards, making it difficult for Meulin to even act. She couldn’t risk of getting caught because who knew what would happen if she would be.

She slowly crept up the big stairs in the main hall to get to the second floor again. She knew that Nepeta was up there somewhere, or maybe the third floor. Where ever she was being captured Meulin would find her and they would get out of this mess. Meulin tried hard to puzzle the ways around and got even more irritated as she had to hide from guards as well. She then took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started trying to catch up Nepetas scent. After a while of silence she felt Nepetas own scent, weak but she could at least notice it. She flinched and ran towards the right direction by the stairs.

Soon she got back to the corridor where she and Nepeta had been taken before and she felt a sting of triumph. Meulin kept following the way of Nepetas scent until she reached an end of the hallway and noticed two doors. The one to the left had Nepetas scent all over it and she hurried up to it, banging on the door yelling Nepetas name. After a while she could slightly hear and feel scratching on the door meaning that Nepeta WAS on the other side of the door.

“Nepeta! Are you in there!?”

“Meulin! Is that you!? Let me out!!”

“I’ll try! Hang in there kitten! I’ll get you out!”

Meulin started to pull and kick the door madly to make it open. She didn’t care if she was loud, she just wanted her sister out of the damn room! Meulin banged her fists against the wood and managed to make a big crack in it but before she got a chance to make another move one of the guards grabbed her by her shirtcollar and lifted her up. Meulin saw red at the moment and dug her sharp claw like nails into the guards face, getting dark blue blood all over her hands. The big troll yelled for help and soon a group of guard trolls came around, pulling Meulin off the now bleeding troll. They then pushed her to the floor and pressed her down roughly. Meulin stared at the door in the corner of her eye and heard Nepeta’s scratching and yelling. She growled and tried her best to struggle free but this time it was more than ONE troll holding her down. One of the guards put a collar around her neck as if she were a pet and began to drag her away from the hallway.


	4. Deal with it

Meulin pulled and screamed in anger, trying to get back to Nepeta but the guards dragged her away hard and all the way back to Kurloz room. The guard opened the door and threw Meulin in roughly then slammed the door shut again as the first time. Meulin slowly sat up, sobbing and rubbing her face which hit the floor first. It pounded like a drum on her head and the tears made her sight go blurry. Suddenly she noticed something in the corner of her eye and flinched as she noticed Kurloz sitting on the bed, calmly staring at her. Meulin growled at him and backed up, dragging the chain of the collar after her. Kurloz sighed and sat up, slowly walking towards her reaching for the chain. Meulin screamed and without warning tackled the prince with a strong move, pushing him to the floor. Kurloz flinched and grabbed Meulins shoulders to calm her down but she dug her teeth into his arm, showing that she was NOT a damn pet of his!

The prince only flinched by the feeling of teeth digging their ways into his flesh, not giving much responds. This angered Meulin even more and dug her teeth harder into his arm, marking her ways. After a short moment she received a little flip on her nose making her let go all confused. Did he just… flip her nose as if she was a normal whiskerbeast!? Like as if she was a BLOODY PET!? Tears of frustration fell down her cheeks as she stomped around the room in a circle. Kurloz followed her with his eyes, feeling pity for her all over. He wanted to make her trust him, to make sure that he wouldn’t hurt her at all. Looking through the window he noticed that the day had flew by quickly and the dark was slowly replacing the daylight. He slowly started to remove his shirt and jewelry making Meulin flinch in shock. What was he doing now!?

After a while she understood that he was only changing for the night. Kurloz gave her a wide smile and slowly walked up to her, reaching out for her. Meulin hissed and backed up as he touched her right earring. The prince sighed and grabbed her shoulder, slowly removing her jewelries one by one. After a short while he let go of her and turned around politely, facing the wall. Meulin frowned and removed the shirt, pants and socks from her body and tossed them on the chair where Kurloz put his clothes. She watched the prince walk up to his bed and sit down. She felt the hair raise over her body before Kurloz gave her another wide smile and patted the seat next to him gently.

Meulin raised her brow and tilted her head before she growled at him, stomping off to the other end of the room. With a thump she lay down on the floor, crawling up like a big whiskerbeast and mumbled to herself. Kurloz sighed once more and lay down on the bed, tugging himself in. Meulin refused to sleep next to him! Maybe she acted foolish by lying on the floor like an idiot but it felt right for the moment… Now when she was calm she had a chance to get another good view of the prince’s room. It was pretty big for sure, the walls were dark purple and the floor was made of black stone. She was resting on a rug made out of fur, probably from a big howlbeast from the woods and it still smelled of blood. Not that it bothered Meulin that much, she was a hunter after all and used to the scent of blood, skin, flesh and organs.

A big closet was standing by the right wall, a table that was probably for writing or reading on the left and of course the huge bed in the middle of the room. Two big windows was also placed on the right wall but covered by black curtains. Meulin knew that one of them has scratches on the glass from when she tried to get out before. As she thought back on it she realized how stupid it sounded… The prince’s bedroom was on the second floor of the castle and even if she managed to get out through the window she would have to climb down the wall…

A big yawn escaped her lips as she felt the sleep kicking in. Maybe it was the best if she got some rest… Meulin yawned again and stretched out her body over the rug, laying down better. After a while of thinking her eyes betrayed her and she fell into slumber. Maybe the next day would be better…

The next morning Equius woke up early, yawning and stretching his body. He had slept on his side and was pretty stiff. He could hear some of the guards outside patrolling around, also them tired from staying up all night. Equius and Horuss lived in a room near the forge when they were not working. Their room included two beds, a small table, some chairs, a little table by the door where they had a little bowl for water to clean their faces and a small closet. Seemed less but it was enough for them both.

Equius sighed deeply before splashing his face with cold water to wake up better. After sitting down for another minute or two he headed for the door. He could hear Horuss mumble in his sleep and tossing around a bit as well. He seemed to be dreaming. Equius smiled warmly at him. His brother was exhausted by work and needed a good sleep so he decided to let him sleep a little longer. If not, the guards would only wake him up in a hour or so. They always did.

Equius thought about bringing some food for them. Their breakfast was probably ready by now. The poor girls in the kitchen seemed to never sleep at all. Equius couldn't even remember seeing one of them take a single break either. He left the room and walked out on the backside of the castle, turned left and reached the kitchens backdoor. He gently knocked before he entered, looking around seeing the big breakfast being made. The two Megido trolls were working in the kitchen as always, not alone but they did most of the cooking and cleaning.

Equius played with his fingers, waiting nervously in the doorway for some kind of response to collect his breakfast and leave again. He didn't want to disturb the workers that much. Aradia, who just had cleaned some vegetables, noticed Equius in the doorway and smiled at him. She pointed at the tray of salad, fruits and oatmeal's.

"Good morning Equius! You and your brothers food is done! You can take it if you like."

"O-Oh, thank you..."

Equius slowly walkd down the little stairway and up to the big table for the tray. He didn't manage far before he knocked into Damara who was in a hurry to watch the meat from being burnt. She frowned at him, not angry but a little irritated. Equius lowered his head and backed away. He only felt that he was in the way all the time when he came around the Megidos. That was why Horuss usually went to get their food from the kitchen instead.

Aradia gave him another smiled before she pushed the tray into his hands. Equius jumped a bit and Aradia pointed at a seat nearby her "work station". He sat down with the tray in his hands and began munching on an apple. He observed her as she cut some fruit for a pie she had to make for the younger prince. He was always in the mood for sweets. Equius sighed into the apple. He liked her... Her hair, her eyes, her voice, the beautiful way her clothes matched her, the red shade her skin had from her blood colour. She was wonderful.  
Sadly... Life wasn't easy at all for red blooded trolls. They were low down in the spectrum of state and didn't had much to say at all. They weren't allowed. Higher powers only saw them as work material. Sadly for Damara and Aradia they would probably had ended up as 'Joymates' if the King hadn't placed them into kitchen servie. That was sadly the horrible fate for most redbloods.

A joymate was probably the most horrible job a troll could have. You were forced into becoming several other trolls mate for a night or longer, only to please them. Never anything yourself. You were only a 'toy'. Nothing more and would never become anything else. Equius felt chilled to the bones thinking about it. Thinking about how the warm and nice Aradia could be in the claws of some greedy bastard hurting her for their own pleasure. And also... She was in HIS age. Only a child! Urgh... Aradia woke him up from the horrible thoughts and wiped her hands on her apron.

"How are you? You look a little pale."

"H-huh? I'm fine. Just haven't slept much. Horuss kept me up almost all night."

"I know that feeling. Try to sleep next to THAT person."

Aradia smirked and glared at Damara who only glared back at her a bit irritated. Equius smiled and took another bite of the apple. He enjoyed their funny sibling relationship.

"So... Did you slept well last night?"

"Well, I believe it's fine. But I wouldn't mind sleep for another hour or so."

"Same here... I dreamt I was a hoovebeast."

Aradia couldn't help but smile at his dissapointed tone. She knew that Equius loved hoovebeasts, but that was probably it. She never managed to speak to him since he always ran away from her or stumbled at his words. Maybe he didn't like her company that much. Maybe they would be able to speak some more later. Even though they have been working in the same castle for about 2 sweeps they never seemed to actually talk with each other like 'friends'.

"Hey Equius?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to water the horses today? I might not be able to managed since I have to go with Damara to the market."

Equius lit up. Hoovebeasts was his dream. He loved their strong and eligant frames. They were such proud animals and he would more than anything to be near and help them. Aradia nodded at him and returned to preparing the pie. She had to finish it for the dessert.

Equius had finished eating his share of the food and was ready to leave with Horuss food but Aradia stopped his by calling out for him. He blinked and turned to her.

"Equius! Can I ask you a favor?"

"O-oh! Of course."

"Good. You see. There's these new trolls that arrived here yesterday."

"Yes?"

"They have become the princes new company pets and since they need to be tamed and get used to their faith they're separated and all that crap."

"Y-yeah..."

"So... I was wondering if you could bring that food tray over there upstairs to the room next to Prince Gamzees? His company pet is placed there and she shall have her breakfast but I'm in full work and so are several other kitchen workers and the guards wouldn't agree on such thing. Do you think you can bring Gamzee's company pet her food?"

"U-um of course. I can do that if it will help you."

"Thank you so much."

Aradia smiled again warmly and gave his cheek a gently stroke. Since her hand was covered in flour it left a white mark on his face. Aradia couldn't help it and gave out a loud laugh. Equius face took a indigo colour of blush and he lowered his head. Why did she had to be so cute?

After shaking of the blush on his face Equius grabbed the tray of food and headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. The castle was so big and elegant yet dark and uninviting. He sometimes forgot for almost how long he been here. Both he and Horuss had been forced to work under the Makaras ever since their father died.

The Zahhak's father was a close worker for the Grand Highblood as a knight. Their fathers name was Darkleer and he and his sons had a huge hoovebeast stable. They breed horses and Darkleer got a good word at the King as well since he gave a few of his horses to him. Many of the horses in the Kings stable was from Equius families stable. He even had his own horse in there who still lived.

It felt so unfair to think about it. Their father was killed and everything they owned fell into the Kings hands. Even Equius and Horuss life... That greedy monster... Equius hushed his thoughts at once. He had to admit he was terrified by the Grand Highblood. He was one of the reasons why Equius was the way he was today. His broken horn for example.

After a while he reached Gamzees door and turned to the opposite door looking rather nervous. He had no idea how the troll on the other side would be like. From what he have heard from Horuss at least one of them was dangerous. The last day his brother had been bitten by one of them. So he bet they had to be an aggressive kind. Equius took a deep breath before knocking on the door and waiting for answers. It was quiet. No response.

He took another deep breath and gently pressed down the door handle. He took a step inside and closed the door behind him. If the company pet escaped he would be in trouble. The sight that meet him was rather... surprising. The whole room was upside down. Furniture was scratched into pieces, the curtains ruined, glass scratched and well, everything was at least broken in some way.

Equius looked around and shivered a bit with the tray in his hands. Now where was that troll? Had she already escaped? After a while of standing he called out with a low and nervous voice to see if the room was really empty. He then heard a hissing sound from under the bed and he backed away a bit. After collecting some courage he placed the tray on the floor and carefully walked up to the bed.

He sat down on his knees and bent down to get a view under the bed. Soon he saw two big yellow eyes glowing at him with fear and anger. He could see her frame. Small but well built, she seemed strong. A female olive blood. Typical middle class. And he could also spot a blue tail waving back and forth in irritation. She growled at him and backed up against the wall under the bed to be well protected.

Equius noticed that her face was wet and green, she had probably cried all night. Poor creature. She reminded him of himself when he and Horuss was taken from their home and placed in the castle as slaves for the rest of their life. Equius tried to give her a smile but it only seemed to scare her more.

"Hey there. Shhh! Don't be afraid. I'm not going to touch you."

"..."

"I just came to deliver your breakfast Miss."

"I'm not a MISS!!"

"H-huh? Are you a... Sir?"

"Grrr NO!! I'm a girl! But I'm NOT a MISS! I'm a mighty huntress!!"

"A mighty huntress? Well... That explains the room..."

"And WHO are you!!?"

"Well, My name is Equius and I work in this castle as an assistant to my brother and a caretaker for the youngest prince."

"Sounds pawful!!"

"It is... But it's my job. What else is there to do?"

"...What is your blood colour?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your blood colour!"

"Umm... Indigo. Why?"

Suddenly the trolls eyes started to glow in anger and she dashed out from under the bed, almost snapping after Equius. He flinched in shock and backed up in fear. What did he do to make her so furious!? The female troll snapped after him like crazy and growled loudly. She wanted him to leave.

"MONSTER! BASTARD! MURDER!!! GET OUT!!"

"W-WAH! P-Please Miss! C-Calm down!!"

"GET OUT OR I'LL KILL YOU! I HATE HIGHBLOODS!! YOU ARE MONSTERS!!"

"B-BUT-"

"OUT!! NOW!!"

Nepeta almost managed to sunk her teeth into his arm before Equius opened the door and slammed it shut behind him and shivered in shock and fear. He did NOT want to go back in there for a while. Not ever if he could choose himself. Without warning he heard a voice near him and jumped in shook again. It was Gamzee, the youngest prince at the Makara kingdom.

Equius couldn't believe how he could have chosen a company pet who HATED highbloods. But soon Gamzee smirked and gave Equius a little push aside and was just about to enter the room. Equius flinched and blocked the door with his body and stared at Gamzee with a scared expression.

"N-No your highness! I believe that the idea of entering this room right now is out of question!"

"Why is that...?"

"Because your company pet is pretty mad at the moment. I believe she needs rest."

"Nahh... Equius... I want to see my company pet."

"But your highness-"

"Equius! It's an order... Move from the door."

"Hng..."

Equius swallowed and sighed deeply. Every time Gamzee used the term "it's an order" he had to do exactly what Gamzee wanted or asked for. Equius was afraid of denying orders. If he did, he would probably be killed. He sighed and moved aside letting Gamzee through. The reaction the female troll gave was exactly what Equius expected. Nepeta was just near the door and had just began eating the food from the tray. When she noticed Gamzee and Equius she flinched and was ready to run away.

Gamzee stepped on Nepetas tail making her trip on the spot. She screamed and yelled as Gamzee grabbed her arm and smiled at her widely. His smile was wide and scary and it looked as if he was about to rip her to pieces. Not mentioning it hurt like hell that he was standing on her tail!

"Hey little feline friend. Play with me!"

"NOOO!!!"

Nepeta screamed again and scratched Gamzee over the cheek. Gamzee flinched by the sudden pain and let go of her arm. Nepeta hurried away from him and managed to climb up on top of a closet in the room. She growled and shivered madly, fearing for her life. Who was THIS troll now!? Gamzee got a disappointed expression on his face and rubbed his cheek. It stung after Nepetas nails. He then turned to Equius with an empty look.

"Equius... Get her down from there."

Equius rose a brow and shook his head slowly. He didn't want to make a scene. Besides. The poor girl was terrified. Gamzee continued to stare at him with the same empty expression. Equius started to become nervous and nodded slowly, walking up to the closet, looking up at Nepeta. Nepeta hissed louder and glared at him.

"Umm... E-excuse me Miss. But would you mind coming down? T-the prince would only like to talk to you."

"NO!"

"B-but-"

"I said no!"

Equius sighed and gulped while he looked over at Gamzee again. Gamzee frowned as if he started to get impatient. Equius looked up at Nepeta again and sighed deeply. She was NOT going to like this. He walked up to the closet and started climbing up, not caring if Nepeta hissed and warned him about coming closer. When he reached the top he reached out for her and grabbed her arm. Nepeta screamed and bit him as he pulled her closer to him. Equius whined but carried her down, telling her it was alright. He then put her down on her feet and tried to keep her still when Gamzee walked up to her.

“Hey there. Now… What shall we play?”

“I don’t want to play with you! Or YOU!”

Nepeta hissed at them both and snapped after Equius who backed away all scared. He just wanted to leave the room. Gamzee frowned and walked up to the growling troll and flipped her nose. Nepeta yelped and rubbed her nose, glaring madly at the prince. She then shivered as Gamzee gave her a long, blank yet chilling stare. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot into the ground.

“Play with me, Company pet!”

Nepeta shivered both angry and scared, looking at Equius in panic. Equius sighed and mimicked ‘I’m sorry’ to her. She then looked at Gamzee again who seemed impatient.

“What… do you want to play then?”

Gamzee then shined up and became happy. He grabbed a small ball from the floor and waved it in front of Nepetas face.

“Wanna play fetch, sis?”

Nepeta frowned in embarrassment but nodded slowly. Maybe it was the best if she just played along. At least until these two had left the room again. Gamzee gave Equius a cold stare and told him to sit by the door. Equius nodded slowly and sat down on a chair, watching the two other trolls. Gamzee tossed the ball around the room, enjoying how Nepeta ran after it and gave it to him again to keep throwing it. This never seemed to end.


	5. Ghosts of your past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to meet the Zahhaks a little better.

Horuss sighed deeply as he slowly left the nurse room. The castle had its own nurses of course, mostly to take care of wounded highblood and the royals but also to take care of the workers. If the slaves or worker got too hurt during their jobs they had to be treated. Of course, without workers nothing would be done. And also, the royals couldn’t risk losing too many of their slaves and workers.

Horuss gently stroked his wrist and shivered by the pain. That other trolls teeth were sharp! He still wondered what he had done to make her get so angry and bite him. All he had done was offering her his help… With those thought still in mind her slowly walked down the corridors and downstairs. As he reached the entrance hall he met to guards standing by the door chattering. As soon as they noticed Horuss they snickered and blocked his way.

“Well well.. Where are you going?”

“Umm. Back to the forge I believe.”

Horuss backed away a bit from the two guards. He didn’t want to start a fight with them cause it only ended up that he would get hurt badly and slack down in his work. One of the guards grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and smirked. Horuss started to shiver and avoided touching his hand. Zahhaks sure were strong, but Horuss didn’t like to fight.

“Back to work eh? Did you take a break without permission?”

“N-no! My lunch break was still on. B-but I have to return to work now.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I might just as well have a little ‘job’ for you.”

“P-please, not now! I have to go!”

Horuss shivered more badly as some of the guards loved to toy around with him. It didn’t have to be harassment but also they treated him like a punch bag, everything to make him cry. They always wanted to prove that Horuss smile was just as fake as painted gold. Horuss shut his eyes closed as the guard raised his fist to punch his face but stopped in the middle of the move. Horuss slowly opened his left eye and noticed Kurloz standing only a few feet away from them.

The young prince glared at the guards in anger and the guard quickly let go of Horuss shirt. They looked at the prince slightly ashamed and back up against the wall again. Kurloz frowned at Horuss and made a gest with his hand, telling Horuss to follow him. Horuss sighed deeply and followed the prince outside, all the way back to the forge. To be honest he was happy that Kurloz had saved him but also afraid. Kurloz had never liked Horuss and Horuss wasn’t really that happy about the prince either.

They didn’t really hate each other, they just didn’t like each other at all. Horuss was meant to become Kurloz caretaker in the first place but Kurloz refused to the idea. Equius became Gamzees caretaker though but Kurloz refused to have Horuss as his. That was their first meeting and even though they didn’t talk much or spended any time together they could still be in the same room without killing each other.

Kurloz then turned around and frowned at Horuss. Horuss sighed and looked down at his feet, he wasn’t sure if the prince was mad at him or just wanted to creep him out. Suddenly Kurloz handed the other troll a note. Horuss slowly took it and read it. Oh! It was a request for the new company pet symbols. Every company pet that belonged to a royal got a special necklace with a symbol that showed that they were already taken and a property to the royal troll. Horuss slowly looked up at Kurloz and pointed at the note.

“When would you like to have them done?”

Kurloz took some ink from the corner of one of Horuss working benches and wrote down that he wanted them done by the end of the week. The quicker the company pets became the Makaras property the better. Horuss sighed and nodded. He already had so much other work that had to be done and he didn’t know if he would finish them in time. But it was just to swallow the problem and work hard.

He bowed to Kurloz and watched him leave the forge in silence. Horuss sighed deeply again and sat down on a bench. Great… As if he didn’t had enough work already. He would probably have to ask Equius for extra help later. After all they worked in the forge together. He started to count down all the things he needed to get done. A few swords needed to be repaired, along with helmets and other weapons. Not to mention all the new horseshoes…

He gave a long sigh and put down the note on the working desk. He knew the Makaras wanted their jewelries made out of silver. Silver with dark gems was what they wanted, nothing else. He checked his storage with metal. The metal storage contained enough but he was getting short on silver in the forge. Fiddlesticks… If he needed more Silver he had to speak to either the king or Kurloz about getting down in their treasure storage to collect more silver. It was not one of his favorite things to do.

Horuss bit his lip harder and took off his gloves before taking the note, out it into his pocket and headed back to the castle again. As he entered the castle doors he watched out for the guards so he wouldn’t be stuck into a fight again. The king was probably in the throne hall by now. The Grand Highblood himself didn’t do much else than sit on his throne. Other than killing, yelling and ruining other trolls lives. The king was a brutal beast for sure but that was something you could never say out loud. In case you didn’t had a death wish.

Soon Horuss stood in front of the huge door, decorated with black stones and silver edges. He gulped and knocked on it, waiting for an answer. The door opened by a guard who gave Horuss a short glare before he let him in. Horuss stepped into a big dark room. The king was sitting at the large throne, glaring at the young Indigo troll with impatient eyes. Horuss hurried to kneel for the Highblood before he looked up again and swallowed several times to get any words to leave his mouth.

“Pardon me your majesty. B-but I need to ask for a small favor.”

The Grand Highblood growled low and clenched his fists, not liking the question he just received. Horuss noticed it as well and dug into his pockets to find the note Kurloz had left him.

“You see, your son asked me to make property necklaces for his and the younger princes company pets. I’m willing to make them of course. But I need more silver to work with… Is there any chance I might be able to get some more?”

Highblood then made a gest with his hand to tell Horuss to come closer. Horuss felt the hair rise all over his body but her slowly approach the King with slow steps. Highblood held out his big hand to collect the note from Horuss and gave it a long stare. A wide smile spread across the kings face or a rather… wicked smile. He then crinkled the paper in his hand and chuckled. Horuss took a step back when the Kings high voice filled the room.

“Did Kurloz leave the note!?”

“Y-yes your majesty.”

“That little fool… HE SHOULD USE HIS MOTHERFUCKING VOICE FOR ONCE!!!”

Horuss gulped and played with his fingers a bit. He just hoped that the king wouldn’t hurt him. Highblood looked down at Horuss again, smirking widely with dangerous eyes.

“Of course you can have more silver…”

“T-that was very kind, my king.”

The smile upon the kings face disappeared in a second as that horrible word had left Horuss lips. The king stepped down from his throne and stomped up to the now frightened worker. He grabbed Horuss by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up. The King was huge and Horrus felt like a tiny little grub compared to him. Highblood showed his teeth and growled madly at Horuss.

“WHAT THE MOTHERFUCK DID YOU JUST SAY!? KIND!?”

“N-No your majesty! I-I meant-“

“I’M NOT KIND! Weak little peasant bloods like you are KIND! Trolls like your father was WEAK and KIND! That disgusted me!”

Horuss fought to hold back the tears and soon the king dropped him to the floor with a thump. Horuss sat up and brushed some dirt of his clothes. The king was still standing in front of him with the murder lust in his eyes.

“The only MOTHERFUCKING reason that I’m keeping YOU and that shitty BROTHER of yours alive is because I own you two!! AND I CAN’T LOSE MORE WORKINGPOWER!”

“Y-Yes…”

“You better watch it! OR ELSE I’LL MAKE SURE YOU AND YOUR BROTHER WILL WISH THAT YOU WERE NEVER BORN!”

With this the King called one of the guards to show Horuss down to the treasure storage to collect more silver. Horuss hurried away from the throne hall so he wouldn’t have to be near the king anymore. His heart was beating like the wings on a scared bird. He couldn’t control how afraid he was of the king. The words of his father were now eating his mind away.

Horuss was now following the guard to the castle treasure storage. As they walked through the corridor he came to think about his past and when he and Equius got to the Makaras castle in the first place. The sad memories were spinning in his head like crazy bees around flowers. As he closed his eyes he saw the scene about 2-3 sweeps ago in the kitchen in their old house at the farm.

\---

Darkleer had just sat down by the table, watching his sons enjoying their spare time. Equius was cleaning a bridle and Horuss was reading a book. Darkleer sighed and rested his arms at the table and looked up at the two boys. Horuss was 6 sweeps and Equius 3. They were so young and had their whole life ahead of them, yet Darkleer felt a horrible feeling eating him up from inside.

“Sons. I have to talk to you both.”

Both Horuss and Equius looked up from their activities and observed their father. His face looked troubled and he swallowed several times as if he were about to cry. Horuss closed his book and put it aside.

“What’s wrong father?”

“Sons. You know that I work for the King right?”

“Yes?”

“And you both know about the hemo spectrum?”

Both Horuss and Equius nodded at the same time. Darkleer nodded as well and sighed deeply again.

“You both know that we are the second highest blooded landdwellers. Right?”

“Yes, Father. But why do you bring that up?”

“According to your blood colour, my sons. You are both bond to the fact that you will look up to higher powers, like the royals. Indigo blooded trolls are excellent knights and always shows loyalty to the royals.”

Equius frowned as if he unlike the thought about it. He had of course being raised since he was a grub to respect the hemo spectrum and always look up for higher blooded trolls. But it sure didn’t sound nice that he was MEANT to do it. He wanted to feel that he could choose his own place in life without everything written down on paper.

“Father, I don’t want to serve a royal for the rest of my life. It’s unfair!”

“But it runs in your blood Equius! And we Zahhaks are meant to become royals personal helpers and archers. That reminds me, have you both been practicing?”

Horuss and Equius nodded again and looked at their father who sighed deeply again.

“I have to leave for a job the King gave me not long ago. Will you two handle yourselfs while I’m gone?”

Equius nodded quickly before returning to polishing the bridle while Horuss gave Darkleer a long sad stare when he picked up his blue arrows. Everytime Darkleer took out his blue arrows it meant that he had to… Execute someone. The horrible word almost made Horuss feel sick to his stomach. He knew that his father worked as an executer for the Makara King. And he knew that Darkleer expected his sons to follow his footsteps towards the same goal as he. Not maybe to kill other trolls… But to become a servant to a royal so they could live better than this.

Horuss frowned and put away his book again and caught his father just as he was about to leave the house.

“Father! Please tell me you won’t hurt anyone!”

“…”

“Please!?”

“Horuss! You know why I tell you to never use these arrows right?”

“Yes…”

“Good. You’re still too young to understand why things like these must be done.”

“Killing other trolls!?”

“HORUSS!”

Horuss bit his lip and fought the tears again. He knew that Darkleer would probably execute some poor lowblood that had been picked out by the King. Probably for stealing food or just not worshipping the king in the right way. Darkleer gently stroked Horuss over the hair and smiled weakly at him. If Horuss could be sure he thought he saw a tear leave Darkleers eye.

“Promise me now Horuss. Whatever happens to me, take care of yourself and Equius. And never let yourself get carried away. Always serve a highblood with the fullest respect and become a strong archer like me.”

“Y-yes father…”

“Take care of yourselfs now while I’m gone.”

\---

Horuss woke up from his thoughts as the guard pushed him and told him to collect his material and leave the treasure storage. Horuss looked into the room that was filled with treasures, gems, coins, jewelries everything. Different kinds of metals could be found as well so he collected silver in a bag and passed the guard who closed the big doors after them. The bag was heavy but Horuss was strong enough to carry it by himself.

He told the guard that he could find his way to the forge alone and hurried away from the uncomfortable company. He held the bag harder over his shoulder and sighed deeply when he came across the hall entrance again. With a quick look at the throne hall doors he felt his stomach turn again. Though Horuss was never there when his father got the instructions of what he was about to do he could still remember the Highbloods evil laugh when he had told the two boys about how weak their father were in his last moments of his life.

\---

Darkleer entered the dark throne hall and kneeled at the king, politely showing his loyalty to him. The grand highblood growled and stood up, roaring so the whole room echoed from his horrible voice.

“YOU’RE LATE!”

“I’m sorry, Highblood. I had to talk with my sons…”

“Kids… THEY ARE JUST A WASTE OF YOUR TIME!”

“…”

“Anyway… DARKLEER! You need to fetch something for me!”

“Fetch, my king?”

Highblood sat down again and held out a little piece of clothes in his hand. It had the color of an olive. Darkleer then realized who the King meant. The Disciple! A beautiful young hunter who lived in the forest and served the king by giving him free meat and hunting trophies. It also seemed like as if the king had starting to get a liking for her. More of a company pet way. The young huntress also had been seen helping calming the king in some ways. Darkleer hadn’t told the king of course but had a small pale feeling about the huntress himself. But if he told the king he would be killed faster than a fly.

“What is this about the huntress, my king?”

“She motherfucking ESCAPED again! I want you to fetch her back for me!”

“She… escaped? But I thought she was allowed to live in the forest on the condition that she would give you half of her hunt and come to visit you as much as she could.”

“SO WHAT!? The unthankful midblood refused to attend to the castle for about 6 days now! I brought her back but she escaped! I WANT YOU TO MOTHERFUCKING FETCH HER FOR ME!!”

The last words came out with a horrible rage and Darkleer took a step back. He then nodded and kneeled to the king once again, then heading to the door. The king stopped him as he was just about to leave the room. Darkleer turned around and looked at the highblood.

“Darkleer… Don’t you motherfucking KILL her now. I want her alive! At least a bit longer…”

“Yes Highblood.”

“Maybe hurt her a little as a punishment…”

“Yes Highblood.”

“Now… GET OUT!”

The hunt took the whole evening and when Darkleer had finally arrived he was both afraid and chocked. Afraid about what the king would do to him when he found out. Darkleer had managed to find the Disciple and pleaded to her to return to the castle. When the huntress had refused and started to flee Darkleer had chased her through the forest in no luck of catching her. As much as he hated the idea of firing one of the arrows it might be the only way to catch the huntress.

Darkleer had fired one arrow that hit the Disciples shoulder. It was meant to be for her leg but he missed. He missed! In panic the wound from the arrow had become bigger and the Disciple screamed at him that her daughters were not strong enough to make it on their own! Those words hit Darkleer right in the chest and he tried to help the Disciple but she ran into the forest and disappeared.

Shocked and hurt Darkleer had to return to the castle to tell the king that he had failed his mission and that they might could search for the huntress later. But as Darkleer just had kneeled and told the king that the Disciple was still in the forest a few guards opened the door and yelled.

“My king! We just found the huntress! She's dead.”

Darkleer flinched and Highblood slowly rose from his throne with an murdering look in his eyes. He clenched his fists and stared at the guard.

“What…?”

“The huntress, my King! She's dead in the forest. She bleed to death by a arrow shut in the shoulder. Darkleer's arrows, my king.”

Darkleer felt like someone had poured ice cold water over him and he looked at Highblood with pleading eyes. The Highblood growled and reached out his hand to Darkleer, asking for his bow. Darkleer slowly walked up to the king and gave him his bow and arrows. He knew what sort of punishment that was waiting for him. Execution.

“I’m motherfucking disappointed at you Darkleer… A such good honest archer as you… STABBING MY MOTHERFUCKING BACK LIKE THIS!?”

“I’m sorry, my king! I’m sorry I failed you! Please-“

“SHUT UP AND MOTHERFUCKING KNEEL!”

Darkleer backed up a few steps, kneeled down and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and felt the tears arrived and fall down his face. He had killed the Disciple who he now realized was a mother. And her daughters wouldn’t survive on their own? What had he done!? Not even mentioning that his own boys were about to spend the rest of their life as slaves! Oh how he had tried to make it sound not so bad as it actually was.

The grand highblood silently arched the bow and arrow and glared at Darkleer with angry yet calm eyes. He smiled a bit and panted heavily as he aimed at his archer.

“Any last motherfucking words?”

“P-please-“

“WHAT!?”

“M-make sure my sons will be spared…”

“Oh… Of course my friend. They will be spared… After all… every motherfucking thing you own… WILL BE MOTHERFUCKING MINE NOW!”

With that he fired the arrow that went straight into Darkleers chest, making him fall over. The arrow didn’t kill and the king put the bow aside and walked down from his throne up to Darkleer. Darkleer panted in chock and shivered as Highblood grabbed his neck with his large hands. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before Highblood growled and tightened up his grip.

“Good bye… Darkleer!”

Darkleer tried to get air and his life pasted through his mind. All the memories he had of his family and the horrible suffering he caused so many other trolls. Maybe this was his final punishment for everything. He cried and struggled the highbloods hands but Highblood calmed him down.

“Shh… Take it like a big honor Darkleer…”

Darkleer flinched and soon his heart gave up. The executer now fell to the floor, lifeless and cold. Highblood growled and walked up to his throne. As he sat down he grabbed Darkleers bow again and looked at it for a long time. He then snapped it into two and threw the pieces in Darkleers direction. After a while of silence he yelled and the room was filled with his horrible voice once more.

“GO AND GET THE TWO ZAHHAK BRATS! THEN BURN DOWN THEIR HOUSE!”

\---

Horuss gulped and shivered, feeling the tears coming on again. The horrible memories of his father being killed and how he and Equius was taken from home without warning and put into work. He hurried away from the hallway and out into the sunlight again. The path and garden outside made him feel a little better. The Makaras wasn’t much for the castles beautiful but the whole building, the garden, the pretty paths everything was beautiful. Horuss shake his head and walked back to the forge. It was time to keep working. He placed down the bag of silver on the ground and looked at little crinkled note he had managed to get back from the Highblood.

Kurloz had even drawn a design for the necklaces or more the jewelries for it. A pretty purple band with small gems at the edges of it, the symbol would be an oval silverplate with a purple crystal attached to it that showed to which kingdom they belonged to. Horuss sighed and started heating up the fire. He needed to melt the silver and create a form for the oval. Not to even mentioning polishing the gems. That was not an easy task. While melting the silver another memory came across his mind while staring into the fire flames.

\---

Horuss had just finishing the book he just read and was ready to go to bed. Equius had fallen asleep not long ago which as god because it was rather late. He had done all the chores such as feeding the horses, polishing the saddles and bridles, cleaning the stable and cleaned up in the kitchen. But he was worried that Darkleer hadn’t returned yet. Their father was never late.

Horuss were just about to shut the light and head for bed when the door slammed up and 6 guards from the Makara kingdom stormed in. He could tell that they were from Makars kingdom because they had their symbol on their arms. Makaras had a little tradition to either cut or burn in their marks at their workers. Horuss flinched and frowned at them. They were blue blooded but Horuss was still higher than them.

“Who gave you permission to enter our house!?”

“The king! Now, get your clothes on and make sure to wake up that brat brother of yours!”

“What!? Why!?”

“Because you both are now living at the castle! Everyone! Collect valuable goods and take the hoofbeasts to the king.”

Horuss felt the anger boil inside him. How dare them come and plunder their home in the middle of the night!? One of the guards grabbed Horuss arm and yelled at him to hurry up.

“Hmm? What’s going on?”

The tiny and tired voice made everyone stop and turn their heads to the sleepy young boy standing by the doorway. Equius rubbed his eyes and looked at the guards with a confused expression on his face. What was going on? Why were their guards in their house? And why did they take things from them? Horuss hurried up to Equius and held him close, glaring at the guards in anger.

“What do you want!? Where is our father?”

“The bowman was executed tonight by the king for failing a mission. You two belong to the king now along with your belongings and the hoofbeasts!”

The both Zahhak broter flinched in shock and shivered on the spot. Was it true? Was their father really dead? Equius sobbed and hugged Horuss harder as he stared at the guard in sadness.

“W-what?”

“Didn’t you hear me!? Your father is DEAD! Killed! EXECUTED! You both are homeless orphans now!”

Horuss growled and yelled as loud as he could at the guard. How dare he talk to Equius that way!? And to a child as well!?

“Shut up dammit! He’s 3 sweeps old!!”

“I don’t care! He needs to learn his place, and so do YOU! Get your damn clothes on and move!”

Horuss tried to calm Equius down while getting dressed and leave the house. They could see the stable being plundered on saddles, bridles, oats, vegetables, metal and the hoofbeasts. Equius flinched when the pulled out his own horse from the stable who seemed to be in panic by seeing strange men she had never seen before. Equius wanted to run up to them to comfort his horse but was stopped by Horuss.

“No… There’s nothing we can do now…”

“BUT-“

“No!”

Equius pressed himself against Horuss and shivered as the guards now lit the stable and their home on fire. Yellow and red flames licked the walls and ate up the woods, breaking it down to the ground. That was the last memories from their time with their father. They had nothing left. The guards grabbed the two young trolls and dragged them in the castles direction.  
\---

Horuss couldn’t hold back the tears now. He cried and couldn’t stop. He couldn’t work now either! In fury he threw tools and metal around him, not caring if a guard would find him. It didn’t matter at all for the moment! His and Equius life was ruined it had been for about 2 soon 3 sweeps now! He wished that he one day would take revenge of the horrible monsters that had done this to his family.

He was never going to become a damn executer though, nothing to break him down into a murderer. But revenge was something he wanted! He dried his tears and sat up on the bench, sighing deeply and sobbed. Maybe it was for the best to start working again. He needed to get started after all.


	6. Don't be afraid

After a while Nepeta was too tired for playing now after jumping around the room catching a ball for Gamzees entertainment. She was normally always full of energy but the whole life switch had drained her on energy. She just wanted to return to the forest with her sister now. Not playing together with a spoiled highblood kid who acted like he owned everything he saw. After a while the young prince stomach started to growl and he turned to Equius who sat in the corner.

Equius flinched and stood up, ready to serve Gamzees command. Nepeta tried to crawl away from Gamzee but he stepped on her tail making her yell and stop.

“Equius… I’m getting hungry. Go fetch something to eat will you?”

“Alright, your majesty.”

Equius sighed as he saw how Nepeta was suffering and gave Gamzee an irritating look. He shouldn’t treat something as valuable as a company pet like that. She needed to be treated like a troll and not like a toy! Equius flinched when he noticed that Gamzee was giving him an irritating but blank expression too. It was almost as like he was staring at his… horn?

“I-is there a problem, young Highblood?”

“…Maybe there is…”

“W-what is is?”

“Hmm… Your horn…”

“My… horn?”

“Yeah, it’s annoying that it’s broken off like that…”

Equius frowned but hid away his sadness. He remembered when his horn was broken off. He had been in the way of the king himself and Highblood had been so frustrated that he broke off Equius horn with brutal force. Equius almost couldn’t remember how much pain he was in during that experience but he tried everyday not to think about it. But it was hard when you saw the results of it in the mirror all the time.

Gamzee woke Equius up from his daydreaming and told him to get going. Equius nodded and left the room heading down the beautiful dark purple corridors. Gamzee turned to Nepeta and looked down on her tail. Nepeta was glaring angry at him and wanted him to let go of her tail but he grabbed it and pulled it again. He probably wanted to make sure that it really was attached to her body. Nepeta screamed and tried to make him let go.

“LET GO OF MY TAIL! IT’S A PART OF MY BODY!”

“Oh… Hmm… I wonder if your whole spine would be ripped out if I pulled it harder…”

“You wouldn’t DARE!”

Nepeta hissed and got ready to fight the young prince but he smiled and let go of her tail. He then sat down on the floor in front of her and patted her head. Not really that soft but enough to make it feel okay. Nepeta frowned more and mumbled to herself. Why did she have to become a damn pet? Where was Meulin!? She remembered that she had heard Meulin outside the door yesterday but then she was dragged away by guards. She must be held captive somewhere else in the castle. 

Gamzee patted her head again and then looked at her tail again.

“How did you motherfucking get that?”

“I was born with it!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes it is you creep!”

Nepeta frowned and hid her tail behind her back, not wanting Gamzee to grab it again. The young prince had a blank expression and a soft smile placed on his lips. He didn’t seem that much interested about what was going on for the moment. Nepeta frowned and looked at the door. Maybe she could try to escape if she was quick enough. With a quick look at Gamzee she hurried up on her legs and dashed pass him, heading to the door.

Without warning Gamzee reacted just as fast as Nepeta and hurried up himself and tackled her to the floor. Nepeta hissed and tried to scratch him but he frowned at her in irritation and raised his hand. Nepeta received a slap across the face which came so sudden that she stopped right in her act. She growled as she stared at the prince with hate in her eyes and Gamzee wasn’t exactly that happy either. This company pet was no fun…

“I could ask dad for a new pet if I want. And then you’ll be gutted and left to rot.”

“Still better than living here!!”

“Really? It could be easy fixed…”

“Do it then! I WOULN’T M-“

Nepeta stopped at the thought of that if she was replaced and killed she would never see Meulin again. And Meulin would be all ALONE! Nepeta glared up at the prince who was sitting on her, pinning her down on the floor. She hid away the feeling of crying and growled again but not loud.

“Fine… I’m sorry… I’ll do what mew want…”

Gamzee seemed rather pleased at the thought of making the wild beast change her mind and smiled widely, pulling Nepeta up from the floor.

“Great! C’mon! Let’s play some more until Equius comes around with our snack!”

Equius sighed deeply as he headed down the large stairway down to the big hall. He then turned to the right to reach the kitchen. As he entered the kitchen he got a nice welcome smile from Aradia who seemed to be baking. Perfect!

“ Hi Equius. How are you doing?”

“Uh, I’m fine. But…”

“But what?”

“Umm… The prince demands a snack. Is it alright if I take something for him?”

Aradia smiled widely and nodded, pointing at the tray with new baked treats next to her. Equius slowly took a plate from the bigger table and picked up a cookie. He didn’t expect the cookie to be fresh baked and dropped it back on the tray as it was a bit warm. Aradia chuckled and helped him, picking up the cookies for him. In less than a minute Equius had 5 cookies on the plate, all ready to go.

“Thanks…”

“Are you okay?”

“H-huh?”

“You seem rather… spaced out.”

“Oh well… I’m just thinking.”

“That can be dangerous. What are you thinking about?”

“Gamzees company pet.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well… I know that we aren’t allowed to speak our minds as servants and I do know that Royals are allowed to treat their servants however they like but…”

“But?”

“How can he treat his own company pet like a normal toy!? She’s there to help him and be his friend! Not being treated like garbage! If she was MY company pet I would treat her like my best friend!”

“But now she isn’t yours, Equius. She’s his.”

“I know that. I just meant that it’s unfair.”

“Life is unfair as hell, Equius. Accept it.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Oh really?”

“Err I mean… Nevermind that. I better bring the prince his cookies.”

Aradia watched as Equius slowly headed to the kitchen door again, looking rather down. She bit her lip before taking a break from the cookie dough.

“Equius?”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to help me feed the horses tonight?”

“M-more than anything!”

Equius face shine up like a star at the thought of the hoofbeasts. He hadn’t been near the stable for about a sweep now and that was a long time for him. Aradia smiled and nodded at him then returning to her baking. Her cooking skills were catching up well.

Aradia always used to burn her bread and cookies before because she refused to take any help from Damara. But lately she had to try harder to focus on and at least manage to make her food eatable. So Damara had to help her and show her how to do it right. But all that work paid off and Aradia was now able to cook whatever she wanted or whatever she was TOLD to make. But yet she still had trouble making bread since it still ended up burned sometimes.

Equius thanked Aradia again before he stumbled out from the kitchen and through the corridor back to the hall. If he had taken the left in the corridor near the kitchen he would have ended up in the dining hall. After walking over the beautiful stone floor in the main hall and then up the large stairway up to the second floor he headed to Gamzees room. Equius politely knocked before he entered the room and saw Gamzee on the floor tickling Nepeta like crazy.

Nepeta screamed and struggled under the Prince, trying to get away. As soon as Gamzee noticed the cookie plate in Equius hands he let go of Nepeta and launched himself over the goodies. While Gamzee greedily munched down two cookies Equius slowly walked up to Nepeta who sat on the floor all messy and panting. She sighed and sat up slowly. Her short messy hair was covering her face a bit and her cheeks had a green tone. She was completely exhausted. Equius felt poor for her and gently reached out his hand to give her a pat but she hissed at him and backed up against the wall. She frowned and panted heavily, growling at him at the same time.

Equius sighed and shook his head, feeling that it was no use trying to even bother helping her. She didn’t want his help anyway so why bother? That stubborn little dummy. Gamzee had just finished his cookies and was right about to stand up to keep playing when there was a knock on the door. With a slow move the door opened and Kurloz looked inside with a blank expression. Gamzee smiled and waved at his brother who slowly waved back at him. He then handed Gamzee a note that said that their father wanted to speak with them both.

Gamzee frowned and stood up, mumbling to himself. He didn’t like getting interrupted at all. But he slowly left the room in silence and Kurloz gave Equius and Nepeta a long stare before closing the door after him, leaving the two servants alone. Equius fiddled with his fingers and glared across the room. Gamzee had made a mess and it was Equius responsibility to keep his room in good shape and also clean. He then looked over to Nepeta who still frowned and pressed herself to the wall. Equius thought for a while on how he could make a better impression on the young prince’s company pet. He then saw the plate on the floor that Gamzee had left after throwing himself over it. There were still two cookies left on it.

He smiled and picked it up, taking a cookie from it and then turned to the terrified midblood. He slowly approached her holding out his hand with the cookie for her. Nepeta growled and tried to back away some more but she was already all the way up against the wall and couldn’t get any further. Equius carefully kneeled down at her level and offered her the treat. He actually expected her to slap it out of his hand but she only glared at it without moving. Equius tried to give her a smile but it only appeared to be a strange grimace.

“Do you perhaps want a treat?”

“…”

“Look miss, I-“

“Don’t call me miss!”

“Alright… Then perhaps-“

“QUIET! I don’t want anything from a coldhearted highblood like you!”

That was Equius breaking point. Cold hearted!? COLD HEARTED!? He had done nothing but try to be nice towards her. He frowned and dropped the cookie back on the plate now glaring angry at her.

“Excuse me? Cold hearted!? How dare you!?”

“Easy, because you are!”

“You know nothing about me you… You paranoid, unsophisticated base class!”

“What did you call me!? I’m a FIRST CLASS HUNTER!”

Nepeta hissed and rose up from the floor, growling madly. Equius stoop up as well now tired of being insulted.

“I don’t matter if you so were the queen herself. Your attitude is rotten all the way through and you are as far away from a civile creature as I can see!”

“So!? I’m not ROYAL so who would care!?”

“I for once happen to care! You should really learn some manners!”

“I don’t trust others than my own family! And especially not INDIGOS!”

“And what in the world do you have against Indigo bloods!?”

“A Indigo blood killed my mother!”

“…”

Equius lowered his head a bit looking down at the floor. That explained a thing or two about her behavior towards him. He sighed and slowly looked up at her.

“But just because of that… doesn’t mean that I’m a bad person. It wasn’t ME who killed your mother.”

“…”

“I’m not that horrible murderer. I’m a friend. If you would like that of course.”

Nepeta frowned before she felt the tears coming. She fell to her knees again and without warning started to cry. She cried and cried and couldn’t stop. Olive colored tears streamed down her face and she trembled like crazy on top of everything. Equius gently placed his hand on her shoulder and a quite surprise when the young midblood wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.

Equius tried as gently as he could to hug her back. He tried his best to calm her down but the more he tried it seemed like she cried even more. After what seemed like hours Nepeta finally calmed down. She sobbed loudly and hiccupped twice while wiping her tears. Her nose was running and her eyes and cheeks were all puffy and green.

“I just want to go home…”

Equius felt his heart sink a bit as he watched her heartbroken face. She reminded him so much of himself when he just had become a servant as well. Right after the moment when his house was burn down and he and his brother were left alone after their father were killed. He gently gave her messy hair a gentle stroke and then smiled warmly at her. He was actually pretty happy that she trusted him enough to let him hug her. Nepeta wiped her tears again with her shirt sleeve, sobbing loudly.

“There there miss…”

“Nepeta…”

“Pardon?”

“My name is Nepeta. Not miss…”

“Oh. Equius Zahhak.”

“I know… You introduced yourself before remember… And that one you call prince called you that too.”

“Well the prince is named Gamzee Makara.”

“Like I care…”

“You should. You’re his company pet now.”

“I never asked for that!”

“And you think I asked to become his caretaker?”

“No?”

“That’s right.”

Nepeta looked aside before you met Equius eyes again. He looked at her with calm and tired eyes. He seem pretty exhausted as well.

“How did you end up here?”

“I was forced here along with my brother after our father was killed. Our father worked for the king and so on he owned me and my brother after our fathers death. We didn’t have a choice than to become loyal servants.”

“That’s unfair and stupid!”

“Perhaps it is. But it’s also a big honor to become servant to royalty. We could have been executed or become something even worse.”

“What is even a caretaker or company pet!?”

“Well, a caretaker means that I’m supposed to take care of the young prince, his room and make sure he learns everything he needs to know about being a royal.”

“Sounds boring…”

“But it is an important job. And I have to make sure that he won’t hurt himself as well. Everything he does will be resting on MY shoulders.”

“And what if he gets hurt?”

“Then I’m in huge trouble.”

“Wait! Are you saying that if HE hurts himself YOU will get punished!?”

“Yes.”

“Why!?”

“Because I didn’t protect him well enough.”

“That’s so damn unfair!”

“Yes I know it is. But we can’t do anything about it… It’s our destiny.”

“And what’s a company pet? Will I get hurt too if he hurts himself?”

“Not really. A company pet is more for company as you may hear at the name. You’re supposed to be there for the prince, comfort him when his sad, play with him when he wants to and pretty much be by his side.”

“But I don’t want that!”

“I’m sorry… But that’s your new job, Nepeta.”

Nepeta frowned to herself in anger. If she would get punished too because of that spoiled brats actions she wouldn’t have mercy on them. She remembered that Meulin always used those words when she talked about people she didn’t like or if anyone would hurt either her or her family. And she would follow her sisters footsteps.

Equius looked at Nepeta for a moment. Something about her made him sort of… happy. She might be rude and her temper was awful but she gave him a wave of positive energy now when he knew her a bit better. Maybe they would become better friends in the future. He then looked down at the plate again and picked up one of the treats for Nepeta.

“Would you perhaps like a cookie now?”

Nepeta looked at it for a while before she smiled weakly and actually accepted the treat from the young indigo servant.

“I would love to.”


	7. Life's unfair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A view of how the Peixes Kingdom looks like.

A loud yell of happiness filled the fuchsia and golden entrance hall as a young female troll at the age of 9 sweeps slide down the stairway rail on one of the two large stairways that reached the second floor. Her name was Meenah Peixes and she was daughter to the Empress herself, The Condense. Meenahs hair was so long that it almost reached down all the way to her feet but she had braid it up in two braids to keep it out of her way. Along with several jewelries on her arms, ears, hair and neck she had a pair of black pants, a fuchsia colored west with golden edges and a black shirt to go with it. Her shoes were fuchsia colored as well and she was pretty tall and thin. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t strong.

The Peixes were the richest rulers in the land and their blood made them on the highest top of the spectrum. The empress owned more land than the Makaras and Amporas together and so it made them the richest in the land. The Peixes kingdom had two princesses. Meenah and Feferi Peixes. Meenah was 9 sweeps old and Feferi 6 and since Meenah was the oldest she was expected to take over the crown and throne after their mother. After Meenahs time on the throne it was Feferis turn. That was the circle for the royal trolls. First the Adult then the oldest child and it went down to the youngest until they had their own grubs to take over the throne.

The biggest problem was that Meenah was nothing near the princess ideal. She was rude, loud, chewed with her mouth open and did whatever she pleased. Not caring about her royal duties or her studies. She just lived her life her own way.

“Your Majesty! Please stop this at once! You’re not finished with your lesson!”

Another shriek was heard as Meenah just reached the bottom floor after sliding down the stair rail. After her came a female troll in her own age running with three books in her arms and she was dropping small notes after her here and there as she ran down the stairs.

Her name was Aranea Serket and she was the princess caretaker. Aranea had short cut black hair a bit above her shoulders, she had a nice blue dress, red shoes, pearl earrings and a pair of glasses. She finally reached the princess and tried her best to catch her breath. She wasn’t used to running at all. She was used to stay in the castles library and teach the princess about her royal duties. Aranea even taught Feferi about the royal duties, the landscape and castle. She was a teacher for them both and that was her job.

Meenah smirked while she watched her poor caretaker trying her best to calm herself down. When Aranea finally got her ability to breath back she frowned at Meenah and immediately grabbed her by the fin. The peixes were seadweller trolls which meant that they got the ability to breath under water with the help of fins that sat where the ears was. The Amporas were also seadwellers so the Peixes weren’t the only royals alone with that.

Meenah yelped in pain as Aranea dragged her along up the stairs, back to the second floor and all the way back to the library. The young princess mumbled to herself as she sat down by her desk and Aranea placed the books infront of her.

“Now then. Shall we continue where we left off?”

“Fine…”

“Okay, Let’s start with something easy. What is the most important things a princess must be and know about?”

Aranea frowned when she noticed how Meenah was literary tearing out pages from one of the books, folding them into hats and messy sculptures. Creative, yes but not very polite. The princess got interrupted in her “work” as Aranea grabbed the little paper thing out of her hands and unfolded it back to a page with a grunt.

“Excuse me your majesty. But there won’t be much left of the book if you’ll keep ripping it apart.”

“Sorry Aranea. You’re lessons were just too boring.”

“Is that so? Well too bad because your mother, the queen herself, expects you to learn how to behave and act like a true and proper royalty and I won’t fail on that task if it so will kill me!”

“You’re wasting your time Aranea… Can’t we draw funny mustaches at the paintings in the hallway or tease the guards or something?”

“No! Now repeat the rules for a princess!”

“I forgot them already…”

Aranea groaned and stared at Meenah impatiently. This couldn’t be true… She knew that Meenah had learn everything but she still just refused to even try. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down from shouting again. It really hurt her throat.

“Alright. A princess wakes up early in the morning, knows everything about her land and kingdom, never speaks out of turn, never chews with her mouth open, she does NOT drool, nag, yell, yawn, burp, play with her hair, chew on her nails or act childish. She makes sure to take care of her royal duties and she’s clean and respectful. She’s also quiet, proud, careful and walks with grace. Short to put it, a princess is a symbol of perfection.”

Aranea ended her sentence with a smile that slowly faded away as Meenah burped and placed her feet on the desk. Meenah pulled her left braid aside and chuckled a bit. She loved to tease and annoy her caretaker because she knew that all this nonsense meant more for Aranea than Meenah.

“Perfection you say? My mother is far away from perfect.”

“But she’s the Queen and she still knows her duties.”

“I don’t care…”

“You sure should, Meenah! Now, let’s continue. If a young gentleman asks you for a dance, how do you answer?”

“Hmm… Never ever in my life boy?”

“NO! You smile and reach out your hand. Or else you’ll apologies and tell him you’re not feeling well.”

“Urgh, why should I lie? I don’t like to dance and if I think a guy is ugly than I’ll just tell him. You always say a princess should be honest.”

“Now WHY would you be so RUDE?”

“I’m not rude, I’m honest.”

Aranea frowned and placed down her book that she had just picked up. She then brought out a map over the landscape and pointed at the Peixes castle.

“I do hope you recognize your own castle.”

“Aranea… I’m not stupid. Of course I know my own home. All the gold and jewelries is hard to miss.”

“Princess!”

“And please call me by name! Gee…”

“I-I can’t possibly do that. You know it! I have to keep your status clear.”

“Blah blah… I’m already bored… and hungry!”

“No princess! You’re not allowed to snack between the meals.”

“Oh why not? Are you afraid that I’ll get fat?”

“No! Nothing like that. But you’ll spoil your appetite.”

Meenah mumbled and glared out through one of the big windows in the library. It was a nice day outside and she could spot her little sister Feferi playing around in the big garden together with Araneas little sister Vriska. Vriska wasn’t really Feferi’s caretaker but they managed to survive eachothers company and play together.

Feferi had long curly black hair that reached all the way down to her legs. She often wore a Fuchsia coloured dress with several golden jewelries to go with it. Feferi was tidy, sweet and elegant for her age but deep down she loved to pull mean pranks on the guards and kitchen staff and sometimes she used really bad words against people that no one ever thought a princess would use. Short said, Feferi was far away from perfect as well. She could also get a bit too proud.

Vriska was the same age as Feferi. She had messy straight hair that reached about the same length as Feferis but she sometimes tied it up in a braid to avoid it getting caught in things. She often wore black pants, a pair of boots, a beautiful dark blue vest with silver thread in the edges and a white shirt under it.

“Come on now Vriska. Let’s play hide and seek.”

“I don’t want to… It’s boring and childish!”

“No! It’s fun! A lot of fun!”

“No it’s boring! Why can’t we go on a treasure hunt instead?”

“Because I am the princess and my words are law!”

“Well you can’t force me into your stupid games today, I’m too tired.”

“Urgh you’re so boring, Vriska! Please? We can even ask Sollux if he wants to join us.”

“There’s NO WAY I’m spending my afternoon with that idiot! He thinks he knows everything and is as stiff as a tree trunk.”

“I think he’s cute.”

“Well you aren’t marrying him!”

Feferi frowned and gave Vriska a push. Vriska was indeed one of her best friends but sometimes she was just too stubborn and boring. A more fun idea was now beginning to form itself in Feferis mind and she turned to face Vriska with a grin.

“How about we tease the guards?”

“Come again, princess?”

“Let’s pull pranks on them!”

“You got a dark little mind Princess… I like it! I’m in!”

With that both of the girls hurried back into the castle heading to the room with the fireplace. They called it that because it was a big room decorated with several paintings on the walls, bookshelves and couches around the fireplace. It was a room to relax in and take it slow and easy. Feferi had always called it the painting room ever since she was little while others called it the relaxing room.

As Vriska and Feferi entered the room they thought for a while about what sort of prank they should pull. Feferi then snapped her fingers as a signal that she had made up her mind and hurried up to one of the huge windows. She then pulled a red rope from one of the red curtains that was preventing it from covering the window. She then hurried back to the door and waited for a short moment. Vriska was just about to ask what the heck the princess was doing but got hushed by Feferi who told her to listen closely.

Vriska kept herself quiet and could soon hear footsteps coming closer. They came outside the room from the corridor. Feferi had knelt down by the left side of the door and signaled to Vriska to do the same. Vriska understood after a while what sort of prank she wanted to pull. Feferi wanted to trip the person who would step through the door over. Vriska hurried down on the right side of the door and caught the other end of the rope as Feferi tossed it in her direction. They stretched the rope and waited for the person to arrive and soon a troll with a couple of books in his hands appeared in the doorway. They didn’t even pay attention to who it was until a loud scream filled the room along with the racket of books hitting the floor along with a person. The troll had hit the floor with his head first and all the books were spread across the floor.

Feferi tilted her head and noticed that it was Mituna. Mituna Captor was a yellowblood, 9 sweeps old and a servant in the castle. Many never really trusted Mituna with anything since he was a bit… special. Some would actually call him retarded.

Mituna had hit the floor with his face first, which had caused his nose to start bleeding badly. Hiss messy black hair was often covering his eyes since he never cared about brushing or cutting it. His eyes were in two different coulours. His right one all blue while his left one was all red. He also had sharp front teeth which made him lisp. Not to even mention how many times he twitched and stammered.

Mituna slowly rose up from the floor and slowly rubbed his nose, now noticing the blood coming from it. He mumbled and looked around not quite sure what happen to him but soon he noticed Feferi who knelt down to check if he was alright.

“I’m so sorry Mituna. Are you alright?”

“H-huh?”

Vriska chuckled at the older troll as he looked awfully ridiculous as he was all messy and bleeding. Most trolls around the castle were used to blood so it was never really THAT big of a surprise when someone got hurt. But of course it was still important to help. Feferi knew that Mituna weren’t mentally well in the head and she hoped that she hadn’t damaged him even more.

“Can you stand up?”

“Yeah… I think so.”

Mitunas lisp made him spit a bit across the floor and he slowly started to collect the books with shaking hands. Feferi felt bad for the prank and helped him with picking up the books. She glared at Vriska and ordered her to help as well. Vriska mumbled and picked up a book, tossing it lighty to Feferi. Feferi looked at Mituna who still bleed from his nose and she quickly dug into Vriskas pockets for her handkerchief. She didn’t matter if Vriska protested.

“Hey! That’s mine!”

“So what? You can always get a new one later. But help me help Mituna now instead of acting like a grub!”

“Why? Where did the whole prank itself go?”

“The prank was funny but it’s no fun when someone starts bleeding!”

“Then we should have knocked down someone less clumsy!”

Mituna twitched and smiled, telling them it was fine. Feferi gently wiped Mitunas nose and tld him to keep the handkerchief. With that the two girls left the room in a hurry. Vriska smirked at Feferi who seemed to blaming herself like crazy.

“Well done Princess, knocking down a retard servant who’ll probably tell your mother that you’re abusing your servant. You know she scolded at you and your sister before about several servants who works slower because you two slow them down with pranks.”

“Don’t you think I know that!?”

“Then why do you keep doing it?”

“You could have stopped me!”

“Where’s the fun in that for me?”

“Well, I need to have fun sometimes!”

“So you’re not going to stop messing with others, princess?”

“Nope!”

“Great!”

Vriska and Feferi then headed to Feferis room without causing any more trouble for the moment. Meanwhile Mituna stumbled back to his room. He swore to himself and still held the handkerchief to his nose. He then walked straight up to his bed and fell down on it at once. He hadn’t noticed it but his little brother Sollux was in the room too. He had cleaned the floors in the library and hall for hours and as now taking a break as well.

Sollux was 6 sweeps old, pretty slim, had short hair and was pretty intelligent. They both had apart from some other trolls four horns on their heads instead of only two. But they were pretty small so it wasn’t that special. Sollux was working with almost everything. Whatever needed to be done he was called to help. Often he was called when it came to renovation of a room or moving big objects. Mituna and Sollux were both trolls who was born with the ability to move objects with their minds and even create a sort of laser light from their eyes. Now this wasn’t that uncommon. Many trolls in this landscape had their own special abilities, everyone had something. Even the Serkets and Peixies had a special power but many trolls often lost their ability to use them or just stopped using them after a while.

Their father Psiioniic who later was called The Helmsman after getting a special “promotion” of work was able to control his power at full max. Many trolls of young age couldn’t quite control their powers right so they had to wait until they grew up. But sadly trolls with the ability like the Captrors could have a bad side. They were excellent power storage and well… Let’s just say that poor Psiioniic was force into overusing his powers on the max level which caused his brain to melt. The captor sons had never forgotten the day when their father died such a horrible dead.

Mituna as well had been through a likely thing pretty similar to his father. He had become mentally ill and though he was counted as useless now the Condense still kept him and Sollux alive because she had liked their father a lot. Sollux looked up at his brother and rose a brow. He had now notice the dry blood around Mitunas nose.

“What happen to you?”

Mituna groaned and sat up slowly. He then twitched and acted like he didn’t even knew his brother, he was always overdoing things. Sollux frowned and stared at him for a while before he snapped his fingers in front of him.

“Mituna! Drop the stupid charade! It’s me. You can act like a normal troll now!”

Mituna smiled before he wiped some spit from his mouth and leaned against the wall. To be honest, Mituna was as fresh as an apple ready to be picked from a tree. But it was true that he had been trough an accident and got problems controlling his powers now. He also had terrible migraines, other from that the only problem was his lisps. Sollux had lisps too and that was the curse of their double fangs. But otherwise he was fine.

The whole idea behind the lie was to prevent the queen from giving the both Captor brothers the same fate as their father if she thought that they couldn’t control them. It may have sounded a bit… stupid but it was a way from Mituna to look after his brother. The condense herself wanted to save the young boys powers for smaller jobs like renovation of the castle. The more they saved their powers the more she would be able to use them.

“Yeah I’m fine… Just got pranked by the princess and her friend… Again!”

“Too bad. What did they do this time?”

“Tripped me with a rope.”

“And you didn’t even see it?”

“I was holding books Sollux! I didn’t even see my hands!”

“Okay. Poor you…”

“No need to be acting like that Sollux! They pull pranks on you too sometimes as well.”

“I know… Those childish jerks…”

“If the Queen heard you say that about her daughter she’ll kill you.”

“Anything better than living here…”

Just as Mituna was about to answer his brother there was a knock on the door. It was one of the maids who gently told them that the Condense wanted to see them in the throe hall. Both Mituna and Sollux felt a bit nervous but only Mituna showed it. Sollux was good at holding a straight face in almost every situation they went through. The both Captor brothers got up from their beds and headed to the throne hall as told. Their room wasn’t that far away from the throne hall so it didn’t take long at all for them to head there. As they knocked on the door and stepped inside they saw the queen on her throne and the two princesses in front of their mother. The queen was probably telling them something important or either scolding at them.

The two captors placed themselves against the left wall near the Serkets and just waited for when they could go back to their own room. Condense frowned at both Feferi and Meenah who seemed rather scared. Of course The condense wasn’t a nice lady when she was mad. She nagged at them about that they needed to pay more attention and that a royal engagement was coming up for them both. Meenah flinched in shock as she heard that.

“What!? There’s no way I’m getting engaged to a stranger!”

“Quiet Meenah! It’s the Amporas princes. They’ll be perfect anyways.”

“Mother! I refuse!”

“Oh no you won’t! You’ll marry Cronus and Feferi will marry Eridan. That’s final!”

Meenah were just about to start yelling again when they suddenly heard the guards yell from outside and the royal door was pushed open. Then the door to the throne hall slammed up and a turquoise blooded troll girl at the age of 9 sweeps stumbled in with guards after her. She was bruised badly and panted like crazy. Soon she fell to the floor and yelled up at The Condense with panic in her eyes.

“Your majesty! Please help me! Please listen to me I need to speak with you!”

Some of the guards grabbed her arms and tried to drag her away from the room but The condense lifted her hand and stopped them.

“Hold on… Now why would you interrupt like this, young lady?”

The girl almost seemed to cry in happiness that she got contact with the queen and hurried to get out of the guards grip. She looked up at the queen with pleading eyes. Everyone in the room observed her from top to toe. She had middle length hair that reached her shoulder blades and she was pretty tall. She was wearing clothes that had been dirtied so you almost couldn’t tell the color and they were torn and ripped here and there. She was also bruised here and there. After a short while she took a deep breath and stared at the Condense with a serious look on her face.

“Your highness! I really need your help! The village I’ve come from has been burned down to the ground in some sort of revolution! My mother was hanged during it and my sister is badly hurt! I’m begging you for help!”

Both Meenah and Feferi looked at their mother in silence. Condense wasn’t really doing anything else than just sit on her throne with a blank expression. She wasn’t doing anything at all other than listening to the panicking girls pleads. If the village was already burned down to the ground what should she do? There wasn’t anything to “save”. Condense then crossed her arms and sighed deeply, sounding a bit annoyed.

“Well what do you want me to do, hun?”

“Please let me and my sister stay in your castle! We’ve been traveling a long way and I’m afraid my sister won’t make it if she won’t get help!”

“Urgh… I don’t have time for this. Take her away!”

The panic was hitting the girl and she flinched in shock as a few guards began to drag her away. She kicked with her legs and protested. She then screamed as loud as she could so her voice filled the room.

“PLEASE! WE CAN EVEN WORK FOR IT!”

Condense looked up and smirked widely. She liked the sound of that since new workers and servants were always welcome at her castle. She told the guards to let go of the girl and so they did, even if they just wanted to get rid of the girl. The girl was dropped to the floor once again now crying and shaking. Condense smiled wider and walked down from her throne and up to the girl on the floor. She stopped right infront of her and stared at her with calm eyes.

“What’s your name?”

“Latula Pyrope, your highness.”

“Well Latula, I expect that you and your sister will do a great job as servants here. I actually needed new servants around since a very close and hardworking friend of mine passed away not long ago.”

The queen smirked and looked in the Captor brothers direction. Both Sollux and Mituna remained silent and looked away. They didn’t want to think about it. Latula sighed in relief and nodded slowly. Even if offering herself and her sister as servants wasn’t the best idea she’s ever had but it was better than starving to death on the streets.

“Thank you your highness. Let me go and get my sister. She’s waiting outside.”

“Alright. Welcome to the Peixes kingdom. I’ll make sure you’ll get clean clothes, a room and the castle’s own medical helpers will treat your wounds. Hmm… but maybe you’ll need someone to escort you there.”

The Condense thought for a moment before a lisping and twitchy voice was heard from the corner.

“Umm… I c-can e-escort them!”

Everyones eyes fell on Mituna who looked rather serious for once. Condense smirked and shook her head, not even trying to hide that she thought it was hilarious. Mituna sighed and looked down into the floor. He sure felt useless for the moment.

“Alright. Mituna will help you and show you around. Good luck. Now, leave me and my daughters alone. We have a lot to talk about!”

Both the Serket sisters and Sollux immediately left the room while Mituna helped Latula up on her legs. Latula thanked him silently before she headed to the castle door. Mituna followed her down to the castle gate and sat down by a huge bush nearby. Mituna tilted his head but soon noticed a bruised and messy troll girl around Sollux age crawl out from behind it. She was moving slowly and carefully felt the ground under her. As soon as she managed to reach Latula she collapsed in her arms all exhausted. The girl had shoulder length hair, turquoise blood like Latula and she had a bloody piece of cloth covering her eyes. Latula sighed and lifted her sister up from the ground and then turned to Mituna.

“She’s badly burned… I’m afraid I may not be able to save her sight but I’ll do my best to make her better. Please take me to the castle’s doctor!”

Mituna nodded quickly and brought her back to the castle again. He showed her how to get to the corridor where the room that the medical staff worked was. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer and soon female troll opened the door. She was one of the nurses and let them inside. Latula gently placed her sister who was named Terezi on the bed and told the medical staff to be careful.

Now one the trolls working there was a male who was probably the doctor. He observed Terezi for a while before he slowly and carefully removed the cloth from her eyes. From what he could see the skin around Terezis eyes were badly burned and her eyes seemed damaged as well. The rest of her face had managed to save itself as it looked perfectly fine. He then slowly looked at Latula with a sad expression and Latula didn’t even need to ask, she already knew what that meant.

Terezi was permanently blinded.

Back at their village during the fight Terezi had been attacked with a burning torch that had damaged her right in the face. Her eyes took most of it. Terezi was now sleeping and luckily uniformed about the bad news. Latula had promised Terezi that she would become just fine as fast as they got medical help but now… she had let her sister down. Latula snapped out of her thoughts as she felt a little tap on her right shoulder. She turned quickly and faced Mituna who played with his fingers rather nervously. He gave her a weak smile, showing his sharp fangs but then looked down at his feet again when her worried expression refused to leave her face. She suffered along with Terezi.

“U-um excuse me?”

“Hm?”

Latula looked up at him with a sad and tired expression. Mituna noticed that she looked exhausted and tried to keep the mood up by smiling a bit.

“I-it’ll be okay. I’m sure of it.”

“I hope so… I’m afraid of what she’ll say when she finds out she’s blind.”

“Well… I’m s-sure she won’t blame YOU.”

“I hope so…”

Mituna scratched his hair and felt a bit helpless for the moment. He wanted Latula and her sister to feel safe and welcome. But it seemed like he wasn’t very got at it. He tried to bring up a nice subject to talk about but then he saw how Latula rested her head against the bed and looked like as if she were about to fall asleep. Mituna gulped and slowly patted her shoulder.

“You can rest here with your s-sister if you want. I c-can show you your room later.”

“That would be nice… Thank you… umm…”

“Mituna.”

“Thank you Mituna…”

Latula smiled with a tired expression on her face and nodded slowly. She then without warning fell asleep. Mituna smiled a bit before he told the medical staff to let them rest nicely since they needed it. He then left the room and headed back to his own. He hoped that the two new sisters would be alright…


	8. It'll be better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters might be pretty short and boring now but it'll be better! :'3

“Who the living hell does she think she is!?”

Meenah yelled out the question in anger as she tore down her curtains in her room. Ever since the horrible news she had been tearing her own room upside down and she refused to stop. Aranea only sighed as she observed the angry princess tearing her room apart for no reason. Or perhaps the engagement was a big deal for Meenah.

“You’re mother, your highness.”

“But how the hell can she expect me to marry that damn prince Cronus!?”

“Have you ever even met him?”

“Well I’ve SEEN him once but that was enough to make me sick. I refuse to marry out of force!”

Meenah soon calmed down a bit when Aranea placed her hand on Meenah’s cheek, calming her down from her rage outburst. She knew how it felt to being forced into something you didn’t want too well.

“Please calm down your highness.”

“Why should I!?”

“It’s going to be alright. And you are a princess and a princess has to do what’s best for her kingdom. By marrying a prince you’ll get a step closer to become a real ruler and take over the throne after your mother with a king by your side in the future.”

“So you think it’s a great idea that I’ll get married against my will!?”

“I never said that! I just say that you were born for this and at some point in your life you’ll have to get married.”

“It’s not marriage that bothers me, Aranea! It’s to WHO I’m marrying! And maybe I already know someone else I want to marry!?”

“Oh. That can’t be good Meenah! If the queen would find out she’s be furious! Unless… it’s another royal.”

Meenah groaned loudly and fell down on her bed. She mumbled to herself and looked around without answering Aranea for a while. Her long braids fell down around her.

“No it’s not a royal…”

“Oh my! That does make everything worse!”

“But it’s a highblood. Or atleast a pretty high midblood.”

“Hmm… I still think you should stick to a royal. And besides, prince Cronus might not be so bad. He might be a true gentleman.”

“I bet he’s a bastard. And I still refuse to marry him!”

Meenah crawled up in her bed and mumbled louder. Aranea sighed and took off her glasses to wipe off some dirt from them. She was tired. And when it came to serving a spoiled princess it was exhausting! But no matter how annoying it was Meenah was still Araneas best friend.

“Well… You will visit him next week when the queen and Dualscar will plan your engagement. Maybe that will make the whole thing a little easier when you get to know each other?”

“No it won’t! I don’t want to meet anyone! I want to stay here!”

“Princess, please…”

“Shut up! I still refuse! I’d rather nail my feet into the floor than go!”

“Princess! Your sister will get engaged too and you don’t see her acting like a grub!”

“That’s because she’s sister do well and I got a brain that’s working! I hate being a princess!”

“Your highness…”

“Just because my mother’s engagement with Dualscar went to hell doesn’t mean I should have to suffer!”

“But your highness. It’s written in law that royals shall marry royals and that’s that. I believe that your mother and Dualscar atleast thought that it would be a good idea to pair you two up with other seadwellers. That way you’ll be closer and fit better in bloodspectrum and rate.”

“But not in feelings and love…”

“Maybe not but… well…”

“Please Aranea… I don’t want to talk anymore. Let me be…”

“Alright princess.”

With that Aranea left Meenahs room and headed back to the castles library. Meanwhile outside in the garden a similar thing were taking place. Feferi was sitting by the fountain n the middle of the garden all silent and thinking about the news from her mother. Both Sollux and Vriska who were standing not far away from the princess found her silence rather uncomfortable.

They were used to hear her exciting yelling and stupid laugh eco in their ears but she acted stiff and calm for the moment. Ever since the Queen told her that she and Meenah were getting engaged with and then marrying the Ampora sons she had been quiet and still, not saying a word. Vriska and Sollux looked at each other and wondered if they should do something to make the princess cheer up a bit.

“You think we should go and talk to her?”

“I don’t know Vriska… She seems rather upset.”

“And you think we should just leave her like that?”

“I didn’t say that!”

Vriska rolled her eyes and walked up to Feferi and crossed her arms. Feferi was still all quiet not even bothering Vriska. Vriska frowned before she gave the princess a light push which almost made her fall into the water. She frowned at Vriska and stood up, her hands at her sides.

“Now what was that for!?”

“For how much longer were you planning on playing the princess of the dead?”

“What!?”

Sollux joined the conversation and agreed with Vriska.

“Feferi… You’ve been acting like a statue ever since you heard about the engagement.”

“Well…”

Feferi gently rubbed her arm and looked aside for a while. The feeling of getting engaged to someone she didn’t even know was pretty scary. She had no idea of how this prince Eridan was. All she knew was that he was a seadweller and that he was in her age. But apart from that it was nothing else she knew about him.

“I just… I’m nervous about meeting him. I know nothing about him!”

“Well isn’t that the reason why you’re going to meet him?”

“Yes Vriska… But still! What if he’s my complete opposite?”

“Well, that’s sad.”

Sollux gave her a light push and Vriska frowned at him.

“Watch it!”

“Only if you’ll do the same!”

“If I could control my powers to the full max I would make a huge bolder fall on your head!”

“And I would do the same against you! But sadly you won’t be able to do that until you’re all grown up!”

“Can both of you shut up!?”

Feferi frowned at her friends before she stormed off back to the castle. They didn’t get anything else besides fighting and besides it wasn’t like they were about to get married to a stranger.

Both Sollux and Vriska were left alone by the fountain. Sollux rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as well. Now it was no use talking to Feferi in while, she could be a real bastard when she was mad. He turned to Vriska and thought for a while if he should start a normal conversation with the other servant.

“So… How do you think those two new servants are doing?”

“Probably bad as hell itself in my opinion. This isn’t exactly paradise.”

“Yeah yeah. But I’m still curious.”

“They’re probably weak idiots. Whatever happens I’m NOT showing them around!”

“I’m not in the mood either.”

Meanwhile Latula and Terezi had just woke up from their rest and Terezi immediately felt on the bandage cloth covering her eyes. She still couldn’t see and she felt around until her hand hit Latulas head.

“Ouch! Please be more careful.”

“What’s going on? Where are we now?”

“We’re at the Peixes castle. They treated our wounds a bit but I have some bad news…”

“What’s that?”

“They… They can’t save your sight Terezi.”

“W-what?”

“I’m afraid you’ll stay blind for the rest of your life… But I’ll do my best to help you!”

“I’m… I’m not really THAT surprised… I got a feeling that my sight was lost after not being able to see for three days straight…”

“Terezi… It’ll be alright. Sure it’ll be different but I’ll always be here for you.”

“Thanks Latula… I just… need a while to get used to it…”

Latula place a light kiss on Terezi’s forehead before she helped her out of the bed and then walked out from the medicine room. Latula thought about if they should ask a guard for help but she didn’t have to. Soon she noticed Mituna sitting next to the door smiling widely at her. He twitched and his double fangs were showing.

“Hi! I waited for you two to wake up!”

“Umm… Thanks?”

Terezi blinked from under the cloth and looked in the direction she had heard the voice. She didn’t know who it was of course but the person sounded rather strange.

“Latula… What’s going on?”

“Oh it’s just one of the servants here. He promised to help us find our way around in the castle.”

“Oh…”

Mituna smiled and rose up from the floor, holding out his hand to Latula as he expected her to grab it. Latula blinked and gave him a skeptical look. Mituna quickly excused himself and took back his hand, he didn’t want to scare them. He then told them to follow him and that they shouldn’t bother if any guards or servants stared. Not that it bothered Terezi since she couldn’t see!

After a short walk around the first floor they reached a small corridor with a few doors that lead to different workers rooms. Mituna led them to a door on the right and let them inside. In front of them were a pretty small room but big enough for two trolls. The walls were cream colored and the floor was dark. Two beds were standing in the room, one against the left wall and one against the right. Between the beds were a small table with a bowl and a jug for water. Two small towels were nicely folded next to it and a small closet along with two chairs could be found in the room. Latula let her eyes travel around the room in silence. It was better than she had hoped.

“Thank you. This’ll do just perfect.”

Terezi frowned as she managed to feel her way towards one of the beds and sat down. She couldn’t see how the room looked like so she couldn’t have an opinion herself. Mituna gave Latula another smile and twitched before spitting out his lisping sentence.

“Hope you’ll like it here, I-in case you need any help just ask me!”

“We will. Thanks Mituna. If it’s okay we would like to be alone a while longer.”

“S-sure! Your work will be decided tomorrow anyway. See you then.”

Mituna left the Pyrope sisters alone and Latula sighed before closing the door, turning to her sister. She received just what she expect, a confused and irritated look on her sisters face. Terezi looked in Latulas direction, or at least hoped she was and rose a brow.

“Work? What work?”

“Well… The condition on staying here was to become servants.”

“WHAT!? And how do you expect me to do anything when I’m BLIND!? I can’t even see my own hand in front of my face!”

“I know but…”

“Why couldn’t we just have stayed in the forest!?”

“Because then you would have died!”

Terezi frowned and lied down on the bed, facing the wall. She didn’t want to fight with Latula but sadly the wrong words slipped out from her mouth anyway.

“I would rather have died out there then go on the rest of my life blind!”

Latula flinched before she frowned angrily at her sister and walked up to her without warning and pulled her up from the bed, giving her a slap across the face. Terezi flinched and shivered by both surprise and the stinging feeling all over her cheek. Latula then hugged her sister hard and sobbed loudly.

“Don’t ever say that again! How can you be so selfish!? I know that you might feel like everything has hit rock bottom right now and NO I don’t understand how you feel… But you’re my sister and I love you. Blind or not you’re my only family left and I need you here. I can’t go on without you!”

Terezi sighed and hugged Latula back. She loved her sister too and of course she didn’t want to die… But a life without sight felt so… pointless and hard. And now she was going to be a servant for the rest of her life? Great… She tried not to think about it too much. Right now she tried to focus on her moment with her sister. Everything would be better in time but it felt so hopeless right now. Soon they broke the hug and Latula poured up some water in the bowl and soaked cloth in it. She then slowly and gently cleaned the area around Terezi’s eyes and then her face- They hadn’t taken a bath yet but at least they could clean up a little. They didn’t have work until tomorrow but it still would feel nice to clean away some dirt.

“Does it hurt somewhere?”

“No…”

“Good.”

When they both were done they slowly leaned against each other and sighed. They thought back at how everything they once knew had disappeared in rage and anger from angry crowds and soldiers. When the royals wanted something they always got it. The village that the Pyropes once had lived in had been a quiet and nice place without much trouble at all. The Pyrope had lived a nice and good life together with their mother who was fighting for the justice in the land. But one day a horrible thing happened just like mostly villages was put through almost every day around the land, some guards from the royal castles attacked after new servants or just terrorize the village people. Redglare, who the pyropes mother was called, had tried her best to protect her children and friends and had killed several higherblooded trolls then herself. This cost Redglare her own life and she was hanged in front of her own children…

While Terezi and Latula tried to escape a guard had threw a burning torch into her face burning her badly. The guards were trying to kill the two girls as well but they managed to escape. From which castle the soldiers came was hard to tell but there was no time in thinking about that while escaping. Latula had carried Terezi on her back away from the village and had hid in the forest for the night. After that they had traveled for three days until they reached the Peixes castle. Latula shook her head and turned to Terezi, gently stroking her head. Terezi was moving her fingertips over the band aid, feeling it over and over.

“Don’t worry sister. We’ll make it. We’ve been through worse than this.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Remember that time when mom forced us to help cleaning the basement?”

“Oh yes! I remember, it was actually quite fun!”

“Yes… But remember the back pain afterwards? Horrible!”

“But it was nice spending time with mom.”

“Yes… It sure was.”

Latula looked away for a second when she realized that the last thing they have seen of their mother was when her neck was broken and she was hanging from a rope. She felt awful when she realized as well that the last Terezi even SAW with her own eyes was their dead mother before she went blind. She gently placed a hand on Terezis shoulder and the pulled her close.

“Terezi?”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember mothers face? How she looked like when she was happy?”

“Of course I do.”

“Good. Then I want you to always have that picture in your mind when you think about her. Nothing else than her warm and happy smile.”

“Okay.”

“Good. Hmm… I wonder when dinner is served. I’m starving!”

“That makes two of us!”


	9. Hidden feelings

When dinner later was served a maid told both Terezi and Latula where they should go. They were led to a small room that was just next to the kitchen. Both the Captor brothers and Vriska was sitting by a table in the middle of the room eating. The maid had prepared both seats and food for them both. Latula helped Terezi to sit down on her seat before sitting down herself, getting ready to eat. Aranea was eating with the Princesses and Queen in the dining hall since she was a caretaker. Actually caretakers weren’t meant to eat together with the royals if not the Prince or Princess had requested it. A company pet was either eating on its masters room or by the table if the prince or princess had requested it.

Both Vriska and Sollux stared at the new ones in curiosity. Terezi couldn’t see but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t feel their eyes staring at her. In the next moment she slammed her fist into the table and hissed in anger.

“STOP STARING AT ME!”

Everyone jumped a bit and Latula gently patted her shoulder. Sollux kept on eating in silence but Vriska smirked and placed her elbows on the table.

“So you two are the new ones huh? Well then welcome to hell.”

“Then I guess you’re the devil?”

Sollux almost choked on his food as he worked hard to hide a laugh. He guessed that it was true that even a blind person could see that Vriska was rotten to the core. Latula gave her sister a little push before she continued to eat. Vriska frowned but Terezi didn’t notice. She was actually pretty proud of her quick comeback.

“Watch it! You don’t know this place or the princesses like I do! I can get you both in a lot of trouble if I want to!”

“That’s actually true…”

Sollux looked up and nodded at them. If you got a coin for every time Vriska had put him in trouble you would become richer than the Queen herself. Latula glared at Vriska before a light smirk was formed on her lips. She had seen before that Vriska had an older sister so maybe she could take advance of that.

“Then maybe I’ll tell your sister about your bad attitude and behavior?”

Vriska flinched but then crossed her arms. Latula had a point. Aranea had warned Vriska about her behavior. If she kept on teasing and helping Feferi pull pranks on the staff she would get punished and Aranea was an expert on making other trolls suffer, or at least their ears. Mituna looked up from his plate and pointed at Vriska, he spat small crumbs as he spoke.

“That’s Vriska in case she won’t say her name. She’s actually pretty okay but often acts mean to get what she wants! And this is my brother Sollux next to me.”

Sollux didn’t even wave or look up so they guessed that it was his way of saying hello. Vriska made a grimace as if she was disgusted by Mituna and wiped some crumbs off the table.

“And the lisping retard is Mituna.”

“We know. He’s our guide.”

Vriska chuckled and shook her head.

“And you two are?”

“I’m Latula and this is Terezi.”

“Is she blind or wearing that cloth just to look stupid?”

Vriska had a wide smirk on her face as she waited for the answer. Latula looked at Terezi who didn’t seem angry at all. Instead she smiled and placed her elbows on the table as well.

“Maybe I am. But my nose works just fine. I can feel your bad breath all the way over here.”

Vriska was silent for a short while as she observed the new girl. She was tough. Her quick and annoying attitude made her irritated but it was something about Terezi she… enjoyed. Maybe they could share this place after all without killing each other but Vriska would always have the most of course. She wasn’t going to let a newbie act however she wanted just because she was new. Vriska and Aranea had been here the longest and therefore they would be number one with all knowledge and power, or at least along the servants…

“You got attitude. I like that!”

“Really? A moment ago you threaten us both that you would get us in trouble for it.”

“Well yeah. I do find you annoying as hell but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any stamina. Maybe we can ‘share’ this place in time…”

Terezi rolled her eyes under the cloth and slowly began eating again. Vriska did the same and soon all the servants were done eating and some maids were ready to remove the dishes. The servants slowly rose from the table and left the room to leave space for the maids.

Vriska yawned and stretched, smirking at the same time as she hit Terezi in the back of her head while taking down her arm. Terezi flinched and rubbed her head, growling lightly at Vriska. It hurt a bit after all. Latula gave Vriska a death glare before she grabbed Terezi by the arm and pulled her away from the others. Terezi moved her hands to find Latula better.

“Hey Latula?”

“Yes?”

“Can I kill that girl?”

“Feel free. Just remember that we’ll get killed right after if you do.”

“Sounds fair.”

In a moment Mituna was catching up on them with a silly grin on his face. Latula sighed and was ready for whatever he could want to say or tell them. Mituna noticed quickly that Latula seemed a bit irritated about him following them around. He quickly stopped on the spot and played with his fingers, thinking about what he wanted again.

“Umm… I just… wanted to tell you that i-if you don’t know where to go now you can always come with me and Sollux to the library!”

Latula looked at Terezi who immediately frowned at the idea. But maybe it would be nice to look through the second floor as well Latula thought. They hadn’t seen much at all of the castle which wasn’t that strange since they just arrived here, but at least it wouldn’t hurt to go with someone who didn’t want to harm them after all. She grabbed Terezi’s arm and nodded quickly.

“Sure, why not?”

“Great! We’ll work a bit though… We need to sort and organize some books but you two can just sit around and read if you want.”

With that the Pyrope sisters and the Captor brothers headed up the large stairs up to the second floor. The corridors and the beautiful fuchsia and golden colours were outstanding. Pretty rugs, pearls and paintings could be seen to decorate the atmosphere which made the castle even fancier. They soon reached the library and both Mituna and Sollux started off organizing a few pile of books waiting on a table. Latula helped Terezi to sit down on a cough nearby while she looked around herself a bit.

The library was huge! Several bookcases that reached up to the ceiling was standing against the walls with books filling their empty shelves. Expensive looking furniture’s in fuchsia, white and golden textures was standing in the room as well. A huge fire case was built in the middle of two big windows with painted glass on the opposite side of the door. The room was amazing! Latula were just about to tell Terezi to look up at the huge crystal crown in the ceiling when she realized that it was no use… In sadness she turned to face Terezi who sat all quiet and still on the couch next to the door, frowning sadly. She thought for a while and ran her fingers through her straight black hair before she smiled gently. She walked up to Terezi and patted her head.

“Would you like me to read something for you?”

“No thanks…”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure…”

“Alright then. Just tell me if you change your mind.”

Terezi nodded slowly before leaning against the couch again. She looked like she could die out of boresome… Everything was so boring without being able to see! Latula observed the Captor brothers in silence as they nagged at each other about what book would go where. Mitua suddenly tripped and dropped the books he just had picked up from the table to bring to one of the lower bookcases. He hissed in anger and swore loudly across the room. He then slowly calmed himself down and stumbled out from the library, telling the others that he needed to use the bathroom and that his migraine was starting to kick in. Latula bit her lip before she looked over at Sollux. He was completely ignoring them both and kept on working.

“Um excuse me… But can I ask you a question?”

“No!”

Latula raised a brow before she crossed her arms. This guy was pretty rude for sure…

“And why not?”

“Because I’m working!”

“Well, excuse me then, but I’ll ask anyways. Your brother… What’s wrong with him?”

“…”

Sollux stopped for a moment before he continued sorting the books. He didn’t want to talk about Mitunas ‘problems’ and these girls were starting to annoy him. He waited a while longer before he put the books aside and glared at Latula in silence.

“Well, he’s mentally ill. He went through an accident and now he’s like this. Clumsy, twitching, slow minded and childish. There!”

“I think he’s faking it…”

The two trolls attention was drawn to Terezi who sat all still on the couch with her eyes still covered with the band aid. Sollux observed her or a moment before he slowly spoke again.

“What do you mean by that!?”

“The way he walks… I may not see but I can hear perfectly fine. He drags his feet into the floor and then stomps while walking. He’s doing that on purpose! I can feel it.”

“My brother isn’t lying you blind bat!”

“I didn’t say he WAS faking. I said I THINK he’s faking.”

“And how can you be so sure!?”

“Well let’s just say our mother made us pay attention to any kind of sign that could prove that a person is lying.”

“Weirdo…”

“Oh both of you just shut up!”

Latula gave them both an angry glare. This wasn’t the answer she asked for. She wanted to know why Mituna acted the way he did. Terezi crossed her arms and fell against the couch, mumbling to herself. The couch was big and soft but it was boring just sitting around. Latula walked up to Sollux once more and smiled a bit.

“Look, it’s not like we want to insult anyone. I just want to know how things works around here. We’re new here after all and this will be our new home. We just want to know more about you two.”

Terezi frowned and then smiled lightly. She couldn’t quite agree with Latulas words.

“Yes of course. Or maybe just Latula…”

Sollux rolled his eyes and got ready to turn his back on them again. He didn’t have time for this and he needed Mituna to get back soon and help him. How long could it take to go to the bathroom?

“How nice… Now leave me alone! I’m working!”

“Come on now Sollux. That is your name right?”

“Yes… So what!?”

“Can’t you tell us more about yourself and your brother?”

“NO!”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to!”

Terezi now growled louder in irritation since Sollux was starting to get on her nerves like crazy. In a moment she had helped herself to stand up and take a few steps into the others direction.

“For hells sake just spit out who you are or are you too mentally retarded as your brother!?”

“Terezi!”

“What!? He obviously doesn’t know what kindness is so I’m speaking to him in the only language he understands! Plain rudeness!”

Sollux stared at the blind troll in front of him. She was yelling and trembling in frustration and her shoulder length hair was rather messy. The cloth that covered her eyes made it impossible to them of course but he was sure that they were glowing. He slowly placed his books away and sat down on another couch near the bookcase.

“Alright! I’ll tell you. Just calm yourself down.”

Terezi ran her hand thought her hair and felt around until Latula grabbed her shoulders and led her up to the couch Sollux were sitting in. It was big enough for three trolls so there was no problem fitting in it. Sollux remained silent for a while until he finally started talking.

“Well… I’m Sollux Captor, I’m 6 sweeps old and my life is a living hell.”

“More details please.”

Sollux frowned at Terezis sarcastic tone in her voice but he did as she asked for.

“Me, my brother and our father were taken from our home by the Peixes royal guards one day when they searched for new work power. Some yellow bloods like my family has the ability as a full grown troll to control a special power. We can move objects with the help from psychical powers and also create lights from our eyes. Anyway, I’m too young to control my powers and Mituna only can a little. But our father could of course control his to the full max. Our powers are long lasting and pretty strong and I guess the Queen found a liking to it. Our father was tied to a wall and was forced to be used as a energy storage… He held the whole damn castle warm during winter, he could make objects move and rebuild damaged parts of the castle and a lot of other things the queen needed help with. It all went so far that my father’s brain melted from the overuse of his powers and he died a brutal and painful death. When he was dead it was Mitunas turn to be strapped to the wall for new energy. Thought Mituna was too young to control his powers on that level so it knocked out a few screws in his head if you get what I mean… But thanks to that the queen doesn’t want to lose us yet. She’ll use our powers for smaller favors until we’re old enough to become energy storages as well.”

Both Terezi and Latula went all stiff and silent as Sollux took a break from his story. What a horrible way to die… No wonder this boy was grumpy and sad. Terezi gently felt her way from the couch seat to Sollux shoulder. She gently patted it and smiled a bit. Sollux couldn’t help but smile. She wasn’t looking right as his face, she was spacing out and nodded slowly. It looked pretty cute. But it wasn’t like he could blame her, she was blind after all.

“Anyway… Me and my brother tried to live our life well… Even if we hate this place.”

“I can understand. Even though I’m blind I still can tell I don’t like this place. It even smells weird. Not bad but weird!”

“Yeah well your nose works just fine then.”

Sollux smiled wider. She was actually pretty okay, a little weird but okay. Latula leaned against the couch seat as well and let out a long groan. She wondered how things would be from now on… What kind of job would they be forced to do? Kitchen staff? Maids? She had no idea but she hoped it would be something easy. After a moment Mituna returned to the library all messy and panting a bit. Sollux quickly stood up and stared at him.

“What happened?”

“I got mad… And then I puked.”

“Bloody hell Mituna!”

“I’m sorry! I just… Don’t feel so well today…”

“Then take a break!”

“I already did! A-and I can’t let you do everything yourself all the time!”

Latula and Terezi just sat and listened to the two brothers nagging. Latula could see how her sister started to frown and understood that Terezi must have had enough of the sibling fight. She gently placed a hand on Terezi’s shoulder and comforted her.

“You find this annoying like heck too?”

“Yes… But that’s not the reason why I’m frowning.”

“Hm?”

“I need to pee…”

“Oh! Umm… You need me to escort you?”

“I don’t want that… But I doubt that I’ll find the toilet myself.”

Latula walked up and slowly led Terezi out from the library. Both Sollux and Mituna were too busy nagging at each other to even notice that the girls left the room. They stepped out in the corridor and looked around. The big and pretty walls were decorated with paintings and small candles. Latula frowned and looked around quicker now a bit frustrated.

“I should have asked Mituna were the bathroom is…”

“Even if you did ask it seemed like he wouldn’t have time to answer anyway. Let’s just look around some more!”

They started by going down to the left, trying to see if they could find any bathroom nearby. All over the corridor were doors, not sure which one lead where and they weren’n very tempting to open everyone to explore further just like that. Terezi felt that it became harder to hold herself and she just wanted to go!

“Argh! Forget it! I’ll pee in a vase or something!”

“No you won’t! We’ll find a bathroom! Calm down. Let’s see if-“

“Excuse me you two?”

Both Latula and Terezi yelled out in fear as a voice was heard behind them. They quickly span around and Latula spotted a young troll lady in a nice dress and she was wearing a crown as well, or a tiara. That was probably one of the princesses for sure. It was Feferi who smiled at the widely.

“Are you both lost?”

“Um we’re… Umm…”

“I need to pee!”

Terezi idn’t care to who she was talking to or either how embarrassing it sounded. She needed to go! Feferi giggled and shook her head slowly, finding their situation rather sad and pitiful.

“I know you two are new. Don’t worry, I’ll personally escort you to my own personal bathroom.”

Latula flinched and shook her head quickly by the princess offer. The fear of getting into trouble was big and alarming.

“No please! It’s quite alright, your highness.”

Terezi growled on the spot and gave Latula a light push. She was going to wet her pants if she didn’t get to a bathroom soon.

“I don’t care who’s offering help but if I don’t go now I’ll pee on the floor!”

“Alright! Just hold it a little longer! Umm Princess? Where’s your room?”

“It’s just down the corridor hall. Come, follow me!”

Feferi escorted them to her room down the hallway. Her room was big and beautiful like the rest of the castle, just a bit more colorful. Big windows were placed on the opposite wall from the door and long curtains with pearls were hanging by them. A large bed was placed against the wall in the middle of the room a huge dressing table and a closet was standing against the right wall as well. She also had cute toys standing on small shelf’s to the left. She led Terezi to a room on the right side which led to her bathroom.

It was pretty big with pearly colors. A bathtub with golden decorated edges stood in the middle of the room, a faucet, towels and finally the toilet. Everything was so pretty! Terezi frowned and gave Feferi a push as she later find her way to the toilet seat.

“Thank you! Now I would like to be alone!”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Dammit! I don’t need any company! I just want to pee!”

Feferi smiled and politely closed the door after her. She then noticed Latula who quietly observed Feferi’s old toys on one of the shelves next to her dressing table and closet. Latula was looking at a small hoovebeast sculpture that was standing on its back legs. It was white and it’s mane had a pink shade in it. Feferi took a few steps closer until she was standing next to Latula.

“See anything you like?”

“Huh!? Oh no! I’m sorry. I was just… looking.”

“You like that horse?”

“I just find it pretty.”

“That’s one of my favorites. I always loved it when I was a little troll.”

“You don’t find it pretty anymore?”

“Well of course I do! I just don’t play with it anymore. It’s not a toy anymore, it’s a decoration.”

“I see. When I was little I would have done anything to get toys like these. They are so beautiful.”

“Yes… Toys are nice… But they are useless when you have no one to play with.”

“Oh?”

“Being a princess is pretty lonely. Especially when your mother thinks you’re too good for the other ‘base classes’.”

“So you never had friends to play with as little?”

“Not really… Well my sister and I played a bit but then she got tired of me… And Vriska and her sister came along a few sweeps ago but we never really communicated much until now.”

“I see. That must have been rather sad.”

“And boring! Oh well. I’m older now and I don’t have that much time for games since my studies came along. But I still enjoy fun games and pranks!”

Latula nodded and gave the toy shelf another stare. A few dolls were sitting on the left side. They were pretty but not quite Latulas taste of toys. A small musicbox were also placed on the shelf on the middle. It had nice decorated corners and small pearls. It was painted in blue and pearly white colours. It was simply wonderful.

“What song does it play?”

“Hmm?”

“The musicbox?”

“Oh that one? I don’t know the name of the song but I always found it pretty.”

“Can I listen to it?”

“Sure! There’s a little key next to it in that little box, to the right.”

Latula looked across the shelf and found what she was looking for, a small little golden key like object. She placed the key into the keyhole of the musicbox and turned it up a few turns. Soon the box opened and a pretty little melody filled the room with a soft tune. Latula listened closely to the little clicking and cute noise. It sounded indeed familiar but Latula had no idea what song it was. In a moment she closed her eyes and forgot about time and place. The melody reminded her of something nice. A nice warm bed, a cup of hot tea, a good book, a nice run over a meadow, a hug from a person you liked…

The melody were almost magical.

Then she suddenly snapped out of her daydream and opened her eyes as Terezi’s voice broke the moment in a high shriek.

“I’m done! Can anyone help me out!?”

After a long day it was finally time for bed. Both Terezi and Latula fell asleep at once in their new room. The other servants were indeed sleeping as well expect for Aranea. She slowly got out of bed and reached for an oil lamp next to her bed and lit it. She then let her bare feet touch the cold floor as she slowly walked across is in her white nightgown. Vriska were sleeping deeply in her own bed next to Aranea’s bed and Aranea did her best to leave the room without making too much noise. Every little creak the floor or door made could be an easy way to wake her sister up. After taking a long breath she stepped out in the corridor, closing the door behind her.

Her feet made small noises as she hurried down the hallway with her lamp guiding her through the darkness. Soon she reached the main entrance hall and turned to the stairway up to the second floor. Careful not to disturb anyone or make any noises she walked up the stairs and then headed quietly to Meenahs room. As soon as she reached the door she gently gave the wood a few knocks, waiting for an answer. She could then hear a soft and quiet voice on the other side.

“Password?”

“Oh please, Princess! Just open the door already.”

Aranea whispered out the words so on one around would hear her. Meenah snickered on the other side of the door and repeated her words, this time more playfully.

“Password?”

Aranea gave out a long sigh before moving closer to the door, whispering against it. The princess was even more childish than her younger sister.

“The queen sings like a dying howlbeast.”

“Correct! Please come in.”

Aranea almost felt like washing her mouth with soap. The horrible thought about that she insulted the Queen was awful! If the Queen would find out about this… No! She didn’t even want to think about it! She looked at Meenah who wore her own nightgown as well. It was pearly pink and made out of a nice fabric. Meenah smiled and then hurried over to her dressing table and sat down, starting to undo her long braids. Aranea smiled as well and placed the oil lamp on a table next to Meenahs bed and helped her undo the other braid. She was going to help Meenah brush her hair for the night, like always. She picked up a brush and comb from the dressing table and slowly began to gently pull it through Meenahs long black hair. She noticed how unhappy the princess looked in the mirror and slowly continued to brush her hair.

“Is it the engagement that’s bothering you, your highness?”

“What do you think!?”

“No need to yell, princess!”

“I’m sorry… I just… It’s so unfair!”

“Life is unfair, princess. I agree with you on that part.”

“Aranea?”

“Yes princess?”

“Will you still be by my side even if I get married?”

“Well of course, your highness. I’m your caretaker after all.”

“I didn’t mean like that…”

“Hm?”

“I meant… Are you still going to be my friend?”

Aranea nodded and continued brushing. She did in fact find the engagement unfair as well. But she couldn’t say anything about it. Her voice didn’t matter. Lower blooded trolls than Indigo weren’t allowed to speak their minds. Meenah fiddled with one of her golden bracelets that were nicely placed in one of her jewelry boxes. She just couldn’t bring herself to be happy. She already had feelings for a very special troll. A troll she could be happy around, a troll that made her smile and laugh, comfort her when she was sad and calm her down when she was angry. And most importantly, knew her and liked her for who she was. Not by her money or looks. She mumbled as she dug around in the jewelry box.

Aranea sighed and moved to Meenahs right side so she could brush the other side. Without much else to talk about the two girls remained silent for a while until Meenah broke the silence.

“Have you spoken to the new trolls yet?”

Aranea shook her head slowly as she looked at the princess with a stiff expression.

“No, princess. I haven’t.”

“Really? Hmm… Sad.”

“Why do you wonder?”

“I just wonder how they are like. I haven’t spoken to them either.”

“I’m soon done with combing your hair, princess.”

“Okay…”

“Would you like me to read for you until you fall asleep?”

“That would be nice I guess, as long as I get to pick the book.”

“Fair enough.”

Aranea was good with reading. She always managed to make a book sound interesting even though the book was boring. The sad part was that when it came to studying and teaching she made everything sound boring and she never knew when to stop or take a rest. Meenah picked out a story name ‘The rose garden’ and Aranea started reading for her as she sat down by her side. As long as Aranea could remember she had always enjoyed reading for Meenah, sure sometimes she seemed bored by it but otherwise it worked out fine. Soon Meenah fell asleep ad snuggled against her pillow. Aranea gently patted her head before she stood up to go go and placed the book back on it’s shelf in the corner. But just as she were about to go Mennah reached out her arm and grabbed Araneas nightgown. Aranea flinched and almost dropped the book. She then looked down at the half asleep princess who glared up at her with tired eyes.

“Please… Sleep by my side tonight.”

“But princess. I’ll be in huge trouble if I do and-

“It’s an order from the princess! I’ll inform the guard of it if they ask… Now please stay.”

“Alright princess.”

Aranea slowly sat down on the bed and took off her glasses, placing them on the night table. She then tugged herself in next to Meenah. Meenah quickly rolled over and cuddled against Aranea not bothering if it was good or bad. Aranea sighed but let Meenah hug her. She knew that the princess needed comfort right now.

“Good night, princess.”

“Good night…”


	10. Indigo Red

“Is this enough water?”

“That’s perfect, Equius.”

Equius got a big wide smiled forming on his face as he gently patted the horse’s neck. He got to help Aradia in the stable to feed the royal horses during the early evening or night. He loved hoofbeasts more than anything and knew almost everything about them. As he thought about it a few of the horses that once belonged to his family was still here in the stable. They had been taken away and was now one of the kings many belongings… But many of the horses from his own family had either been eaten or killed since they were not strong enough for the king. He didn’t want to think about it… It hurt too much. Aradia had just finished feeding the last of the 30 horses in the stable and gave a sigh in relief. It was a lot of work bringing the hay, oat and water all around the stable to make sure that all of the hungry beasts got their share.

Aradia was now standing in the last horse’s box and slowly knelt down to expect its leg. She frowned sadly as she reached out her hand to check how the hoofbeast’s leg was doing. She touched a dried blood covered wound on the horse’s leg and it looked irritated. She sighed and called for Equius to bring a bowl with warm water and a small towel. He nodded quickly and looked around the place until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed a towel from a bench near the stable door and then a bowl that he found in the saddle room. After getting back to the kitchen to get some hot water he returned to the stable and hurried into the box were Aradia waited.

“What’s wrong? What happened to him?”

“He must be overworked… Those damn highbloods never get it do they!?”

“Ahem…”

“Except you! Atleast you know how to take care of an animal… But those damn guards and royals… What do they know!? Nothing! This horse isn’t strong enough to handle much of the work it’s getting through.”

“He’s underweight too…”

“Yes… Poor creatures. If we don’t treat his wound he might die from the infection.”

Equius flinched and stared at the horse in both silence and shock. He couldn’t let that happen to the wonderful creature. He stood up from the hay covered box floor and wrapped his arms around the horse’s neck, gently petting it. He wanted to help it as best as he could! Aradia finished cleaning the wound before she wrapped it up in a bandaid to prevent it from getting more infected. She wiped her forehead and stood up a little too quickly and lost her balance. Equius flinched as Aradia bumped into him and almost knocked him over. He slowly helped her back on her feet and looked at her with a worried expression.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes… I’m just a bit tired…”

“I can understand that. You’re working almost all day without any rest. Are you eating properly?”

“Equius… I work in the kitchen. I snack almost all the time.”

“I was just wondering… No need to sound sarcastic.”

“No… you’re right. I’m sorry. I just need some rest.”

“Shall I follow you back to your room?”

“If you want.”

Equius nodded quickly and smiled widely at his friend. Aradia giggled and shook her head slowly. Equius was like a little baby troll who just received a tasty treat when he was excited. As Aradia were about to turn out the light a roan coloured horse stuck out its head from one of the boxes, giving the two young trolls a gentle stare. Equius flinched as he couldn’t believe his eyes. How could he have missed her!? How could he not have noticing her!?

“Blackie? Blackie is that you, girl?”

Aradia blinked in surprise as Equius hurried up to the horse and wrapped his arms around her neck. He sobbed and snuggled against her warm fur, feeling how memories flew across his mind and body. Blackie had been his once, his own horse back on his own farm. Blackie was pretty old by now though but it was a wonder that she had managed to stay alive from the horrible faith most of the horses here had been led to. Equius smiled again as he noticed how Aradia was staring at him with a silent look on her face.

“Umm… This is Blackie… She’s my- I mean she WAS my horse once… Back when she was a part of my family.”

“Oh I see. That’s right… Many of these horses belonged to other trolls as well. I guess the King just took what he demanded.”

“I didn’t even know she was still alive… I thought she had been… you know…”

“Slaughtered?”

“Please… Don’t use that word!”

“I’m sorry…”

“Do you… Know if anyone else owns her now?” 

“I don’t think so. She’s a bit too old for any of the princes to want her and some of the guards just don’t matter the older horses. They just wait for them to die to they can get the space from the boxes for new younger horses later.”

“That’s so cruel! She’s MINE! She needs love and affection, good food and exercise!”

“But she’s not yours anymore, Equius… She belongs to the royal stable…”

“It’s so unfair… She was mine…”

Equius tightened up the grip and pressed himself closer to Blackie. His lovely horse… His childhood friend was standing here alive in front of him, showing him that she trusted him and recognized him. She knew who he was. She hadn’t forgotten. Aradia gently placed her hand on Equius shoulder and frowned sadly at him. She felt poor for him as he sobbed into the hoofbeasts neck. After a while he finally let go of Blackie and followed Aradia out from the Stable. He didn’t want to leave Blackie but it was no idea staying in the stable all night.

“I just wish I would have known…”

“There there Equius. She’ll be fine. I can try to make sure that you can see her as often as you can by helping me in the stables.”

“That would be nice…”

“Let’s go now.”

Equius and Aradia left the stable and walked back to the castle again. As they went back to Aradia’s and Damara’s room they noticed that Damara wasn’t there. Aradia just shrugged and believe that her sister was still cleaning up in the kitchen before going to bed, she used to do that. Aradia sat down on her bed and yawned loudly. She was so tired that she almost could fall sleep sitting up, right on the spot. Equius looked around the Megidos small and warm room. It was almost like his and his brother’s room, not much was different at all.

“Shall I leave now perhaps so you can sleep?”

“Do as you please. If you don’t want to talk more that is.”

Equius shrugged and rubbed his neck for a bit. He was completely out of words as he looked at Aradia. She was so pretty in the light of the oil lamp that was burning on the table next to her bed. Her long black hair was resting on her shoulders like a little cape and her eyes warmly smiled at him. He couldn’t help but blush. It was no surprise that he had developed feelings for her. Once he thought he hated her but after a time he had started to like her more and more. Now he was sure that he was red for her.

“I’m glad I could help you in the stables today.”

“I’m glad too that you helped me. To be honest it’s a pretty hard job to do by yourself.”

Equius smiled and nodded slowly. He didn’t come up with anything to talk about. Aradia noticed how he seemed… nervous and gently patted the spot next to her. Equius flinched and fiddled with his fingers in panic. He didn’t understand at all what Aradia meant by that. Aradia rolled her eyes before she giggled and lifted up a little comb from the night table, holding it up so Equius could see it.

“Do you want me to comb your hair?”

“M-my hair?”

“No your armpits… Of course your hair. Come over here and sit down.”

“But… Aren’t you too tired for that? I mean… Just a moment ago you said.”

“Nevermind that. Come and sit down and I’ll comb your hair for a while.”

Equius blushed and slowly walked up to the bed. He felt like any moment he would trip on his feet and make a fool out of himself. But he managed to walk up to the bed and sit down without any problems. He felt Aradia gently drag the comb through his straight, shoulder length hair with slow moves. He gulped and felt how his cheeks were almost on fire as the gently touch from Aradia was all over his head. Aradia slowly began to hum a soft melody as she combed him and he found it very relaxing and nice. He finally relaxed his muscles and closed his eyes, enjoying the moment.

“It doesn’t hurt, right?”

“No. It feels nice.”

“Good.”

Aradia smiled and ran her fingers through Equius hair to get rid of a little knot that was bugging her and refused to let the comb get it out. Equius didn’t matter and kept relaxing while Aradia finally get the knot out. She then combed a little faster but still gently.

“You should comb yourself more often. That way you can see how shiny your hair actually is.”

“Well… Maybe. If I have the time.”

“You don’t comb your hair at all?”

“Of course I do. As much as I can but sadly The prince likes it better messy…”

“Gamzee huh? Now that’s a troll who never combs his hair.”

“He refuses to let me do it for him as well. All the time I suggest it he hisses at him or insult my ways of taking care of him…”

“Don’t let it all get to you. He’s just a spoiled brat.”

“Sometimes I wish I could tell him that. But then I would get killed…”

Aradia sighed and kept combing. Equius blushed again and relaxed even more this time as the comb ran through his hair with soft movements.

“It feels so relaxing…”

“I know. That’s why I comb my hair every night before bed. It’s like a routine.”

“Maybe I should try it as well…”

“You sure should. It might help you relax too.”

Equius smiled again and nodded slowly. He almost hoped that this moment could last forever.

Meanwhile Horuss was working hard on the company pet jewelries in the forge. It wasn’t that easy since his hand was still aching after the bite he got from Meulin. It hadn’t healed very well yet and it was distracting his work. He sighed and put the small metal aside and rubbed his neck with his good hand while letting the other one rest on his leg. There was no use in trying to finished the necklace tonight… Just as he were about to get up from his seat and head out of the forge he met a familiar troll in the doorway. It was Damara. Horuss tilted his head and stared at her in a confused look.

“Umm Good evening Damara. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Hai. Did you finish the new horse shoes for the youngest prince hoofbeast?”

“Yes I did… They’re at the bench over there. But isn’t it a little late to collect them at this hour?”

Damara smirked and slowly walked up towards Horuss. She didn’t pass him or anything, just walked slowly up right to him. Horuss took a few steps back but Damara kept going until Horuss hit the bench. He gulped as she pressed her body against his and slowly moved up to his face, freakishly close to his face. Her warm body stroked itself against his and his face got an indigo tone, a sign that he was blushing. His eyes widened behind his goggles. It was almost as if she were about to kiss him! But instead of doing that she moved her arm in behind him and snapped the horseshoes from the table, smirking at him as she moved back. Horuss sighed in relief and took off his goggles, frowning at her while shaking his head.

“Why do you always have to do that?”

“Because I can, and because it’s fun.”

“You’re unbelievable Damara…”

“Thank you!”

“I’m not interested in… ‘That’.”

“I know Horuss. I just do it because I know you aren’t. I’m just teasing.”

Horuss sighed again and let his goggles rest around his neck. Damara put the horseshoes into her apron pocket and looked around the forge.

“Is Equius asleep?”

“I don’t know. I hope he is because he’s still growing and needs his rest. I don’t like when he stays up late.”

Damara’s eyes fell on the little silver oval jewelry that was placed on the working bench. She sighed as she knew what it was for.

“So the prince had already asked for those?”

“Yes… And it’s going to take more time to finish it than expected…”

“How so?”

Horuss held up his hand to show Damara the band aid on his hand.

“Because the troll I’m making it for bit me pretty badly and it’s distracting me from my work…”

Damara smirked a little, not because she enjoyed seeing him hurt but at the thought that he still created a nice necklace for someone who hurt him pretty bad. But… it wasn’t like Horuss had any choice… If he didn’t finish it he would be in trouble for being lazy and slow. Damara sat down on one of the benches and reached out her hand to him.

“Let me see it, please.”

Horuss gave a small noise as if he disliked the thought but gave her his hand. Damara slowly unwrapped his hand and observed his wound. A messy wound which looked like dragging marks was shown to her. This troll must have pretty strong teeth! He gave another noise and tried to get his hand back.

“It’ll heal on its own… Thank for caring anyway, Damara.”

“We could go to the kitchen so I can clean it better. If you want.”

Horuss sighed but then nodded slowly. He didn’t think bad of Damara, he just wanted to finish his work in time. Before they left the forge he placed the unfinished jewelries in a box on one of the top shelves. He needed to keep them safe and not lose them. He slowly followed Damara to the kitchens backdoor and stepped inside as she opened the door for him. As soon as he was inside the kitchen he sat down on a chair while Damara heated up some water on the stove. She then poured it up in a bowl and took a cloth from the kitchen wall. She then slowly walked up to him, careful not to spill any water and sat down by the table. She soaked the cloth in the bowl and turned it so most of the water would drip back into the bowl. Horuss reached out his hand for her and let her place the soaked cloth on his hand gently. He hissed as the warmth from the water made is hand sting a bit. Damara noticed how he reacted and tried to be more careful for his sake.

“You want t know what I’m thinking about?”

“Hmm? What?”

“Do you remember the first time we met?”

“Don’t remind me…”

“Oh why not?”

Horuss smiled a bit and looked at her. He sure remembered and the memery weren’t that pleasant at all.

\---

After Horuss and Equius had been taken from their home and thrown into a life as servants for the Makara kingdom Horuss had gotten madly angry and started a fight with some of the guards in the throne hall. He had gotten beaten up and held down on the floor for a while until the King had finished talking. After that the king yelled at the guards to take the two Zahhaks sons away and throw them into their new room. After being dragged around roughly they finally got tossed into a room on the first floor and Horuss had tried his best to comfort his younger brother. But he had sadly not given any good results on that problem…

“Calm down Equius. It’s alright.”

“No it’s not! Father’s dead! He’s dead! He will never come back…”

“I know Equius… But remember that we shouldn’t give up now! We’re Zahhaks and we are strong.”

Equius sighed and laid down on his bed, mumbling to himself. Horuss understood how his younger brother felt. Horuss felt just as bed himself. He had no idea why they were here either… Their father had just been executed and their home was burned down to the ground. And why did the King say that he owned them!? He frowned at the thought and rose up from his own bed, heading for the door. Equius didn’t seem to matter that his brother left him alone and Horuss just need to stretch his legs. A cold dark corridor surrounded him as he closed the door to the room. With a groan he slammed his back against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor. He buried his face in his arms a pressed his knees to his chest. What should he do now? Spend the rest of his life as a servant to the Makara kingdom? The sound of footsteps echo in the corridor made him look up and saw a young troll girl in his own age approach him. She wore a simple red dress with a white apron tied around her waist. Her hair was tied up in a knot and she was holding a jug with water in her hands. Horuss focused his eyes on her. Something was familiar with her. He then flinched and stood up in shock, making the girl stop on the spot as well.

“You?”

“…”

Soon a feeling of anger washed over Horuss like an ice cold shower and he glared at her in rage. The girl seemed a bit irritated about him too but didn’t do anything except standing all still.

“You!”

Horuss repeated himself and this time it wasn’t a question. He clenched his fists and tried to fight the tears that were about to form in his eyes. He shivered and the girl let out a deep sigh. He had seen her before, together with his matesprit!

Before the whole tragedy and when the Zahhaks lived a normal life Horuss had dated a troll named Rufioh Nitram. Rufioh was a very special lowblood with wings on his back, thin as the ones on a butterfly. Both he and Horuss had fallen for each other during a meeting in the local village as they both were running some errands. Everything had worked out perfectly fine as they started seeing each other. Of course it wasn’t very easy since they had to keep their relationship a secret but it didn’t change their feeling for each other. Also, since Horuss were a lower highblood he could protect their relationship pretty well. The fact that Rufioh was a lowblood didn’t bother Horuss at all. He loved Rufioh just the way he was.

They always used to meet under a big tree near a lake in the forest almost everyday but one day Rufioh never showed up. After a long wait Horuss finally gave up and thought that Rufioh must have been sick or really busy with something else. Anyway he wouldn’t probably show up today and Horuss accepted that. Maybe he could head back home and then go for a ride instead.

As he walked through the forest to get back home he stopped for a moment as he head some strange noises coming from a glade nearby. It sounded like giggling but also like if someone was mad. Curiosity finally took over and Horuss couldn’t help but slowly walk closer yet hiding behind the trees not to get spotted by whoever was enjoying their day in the glade. The sight that met him broke his heart into half…

Rufioh sure was busy with something else… Behind all the leaves and bushes were Rufioh standing, kissing another troll in his arms. The other troll was a red blooded girl with curly horns, her hair tied up in a knot and she was wearing a red shirt with black pants and boots. Tears streamed down Horuss face as he clenched his teeth and hands hard. A horrible pain was aching in his chest and he almost couldn’t breathe, He had been warned before that love could hurt, but he wasn’t prepared for it to hurt THIS much. He quickly hide behind the tree as Rufioh broke the kiss and started talking to the girl. She seemed both happy and irritated at the same time with Rufioh and tried to get out of his arms. Rufioh then gently stroked her cheek before pulling her into a hug, stroking her hair gently. Horuss gulped and tried to stop his tears from running but it was no use. His heart was broken and he couldn’t think straight.

Within a second he dashed off with pain aching in his chest and his legs almost refused to carry him, but he just wanted to get out of the forest! He never wanted to return to it ether. He didn’t even know that both Rufioh and Damara, as the girl was named had noticed him as he dashed off crying his heart out.

Horuss hiccupped a bit as he was now standing in front of the troll who had kissed his matesprit again. She didn’t seem to bother that he was mad and took a better grip of the jug.

“Yes, me.”

“What are YOU doing here!?”

“I work and live here as a servant. What are YOU doing here?”

“I… I got kidnapped along with my brother to work here by force!”

“Sounds familiar. The same thing happened to me and my little sister… Here. I brought you two some water.”

Horuss glared at her, still with rage and sadness in his eyes. How could she be so calm!? Shouldn’t she be ashamed or at least ask for forgiveness!?

“Shouldn’t you be ashamed!?”

“Excuse me?”

“For stealing my matesprit!? I remember you! You kissed Rufioh in the forest during this spring! I saw you two!”

“Oh yes… Rufioh. You must have been that boy he was cheating on… Well… If I should be ashamed, then YOU should be too.”

“What!? What is THAT supposed to mean!?”  

“You see. Rufioh cheated on me too. With you. I was his matesprit before you came along and stole him from ME.”

Horuss flinched in shock. He couldn’t believe his ears! What was that supposed to mean!? Rufioh said that he never had dated anyone except Horuss! He couldn’t have lied, right? Damara looked at him with a quiet and calm expression. She didn’t seem upset or sad, more tired and understanding. Horuss then frowned at her before looking down at his feet.

“You’re lying! Rufioh never mentioned another matesprit! He never dated anyone else than me!”

“Then he lied to you.”

“Shut up! He didn’t lie to me! He would never lie to me!”

“Oh really? Then why did he cheat on you?”

“H-he… I-I… I mean-“

“You can’t answer that? Well then forget about him. You’ll never see him again anyway. This is your home now and you’re going to have plenty of work to think of instead.”

“You didn’t know Rufioh like I did! I know he loves me!”

“And he shows you that by sticking his tongue down the throat of another troll? Oh yes, you must be very important to him.”

“Stop it! Why are you saying that!?”

“Because he cheats on people! He can take your heart and stomp on it without even matter! Look… You are a nice boy. Don’t let him toy with you like that. Let him go instead. He’s not worth it.”

“Shut up! Everything is YOUR fault! Rufioh and I were happy and you ruined it! What did you do to make him kiss you!? Did you kiss him first perhaps!?”

Damara frowned, this time a bit angry. This boy was completely empty headed and blinded by love. He would only become an easy target of getting the rest of his heart crushed if he didn’t work up a spine.

“Instead of yelling at me who you THINK is the problem you should rub away the stupid red fake love that had blinded you and take a look at the REAL problem! If I were you I would get over him already before it breaks you to the ground!”

Damara then shoved the jug of water into Horuss arms before she turned and walked down the corridor, leaving the shaking troll alone. Horuss sobbed and looked down into the water filled jug, letting a tear drop down in it. She was right… Rufioh had broken his heart and didn’t even matter to find him to check how he was doing or either apologies… The indigo blooded troll lowered his head and started sobbing before he turned back to the room and walked in again. He placed the jug of water on the table before lying down on his bed too. He just wanted to fall asleep and forget about everything. He hoped it was just a nightmare that he could wake up from soon.

\---

Horuss sighed and shook his head to forget about the past. It was hard enough as it was already. He noticed that Damara had finished cleaning his wound and put back the band aid on it and was already cleaning up on the table. She looked at Horuss for a while before smiling a bit.

“I’m glad you don’t hate me.”

“I could say the same for you. We got our hearts broken by the same guy and I tried to tell myself that everything was YOUR fault… I guess I was so in love with that jerk that I believed that he was spotless from top to toe…”

“Well he isn’t. He’s a charming heartbreaker that loves to toy with others feelings. He may have his good sides but when it comes to others feelings he do whatever he wants.”

“Yes… I believe that’s how it is…”

“Would you like a piece of apple pie before bed?”

“That sounds lovely!” 

Damara smiled and stood up, walking over to the stove where a fresh baked pie was cooling. Horuss thought it was a little funny how she literarily baked in the middle of the night but it was no idea of questioning her. Damara was special young lady with a hard past and a pretty calm personality. At least she wasn’t showing if she were hiding something but it was the best not to bother. Damara cut up a pie slice for him and placed it on a little plate, taking out a spoon as well. She then walked up to the table again and placed the plate in front of Horuss. He thanked her and took a bite, smiling at her as the pie tasted very good.

“You’re really talented in the kitchen.”

“What can I do? I have to be. Or else I’ll be a joymate…”

“Please don’t think that…”

“How can I not? If I mess anything up the King may change my status… I do admit I like… “That” a lot. But I want to do it when I want and feel like it! Not to some disgusting pervert who only takes what he or she wants for their own sake!”

“That’s true. Maybe we should talk about something else…”

“I think Equius likes Aradia.”

“Hmm?”

“Equius. He likes my sister.”

“I know. He tries to deny it but I can see how his face turns all indigo when he sees her. He’s lost in her eyes.”

“Yes. Well, Aradia has told me she think he’s cute. A little weird but cute.”

Horuss snickered a bit while finishing his slice of pie. He needed that little break and now he wanted to get some sleep. He could finish the jewelries tomorrow and by a little help form Equius it might be enough to finish it tomorrow. He turned to thank Damara for her help but noticed to his surprised that Damara had fallen asleep by the table. She was resting her head on her arms while they rested at the table. He sighed and slowly stroked her over the hair. He might still have some energy left to carry her back to bed. Gently not to wake her up he put one arm around her waist and the other one on her shoulder and lifted her up in his arms. Amazingly she was still asleep which made it a bit easier for Horuss as he carried her out from the kitchen and then headed to hers and Aradias room.

After a while and as carefully as he could he reached their room and managed to opened the door while still holding Damara in his arms. As he pushed the door open he noticed both Equius and Aradia sitting on Aradias bed. Aradia was still brushing Equius hair and they both stared at Horuss with the sleeping Damara in his arms. Horuss glared at them but not in an angry or irritated way.

“Equius Zahhak! You shouldn’t stay up at this hour and neither should you Aradia.”

Equius rolled his eyes before he stood up, sighing deeply. Horuss was still treating him as a grub even though he was 6 sweeps old already. Aradia couldn’t hold back a giggle as she watched her sister.

“She overworked again… Poor thing.”

“Yes, but now she will get some rest. And so should you young lady. Equius, let’s go back to our room. It’s time for bed.”

“Yes Horuss… Umm… Good night Aradia.”

“Good night Equius.”

Aradia gave Equius another smiled which made him blush but he quickly turned around so she wouldn’t notice. Horuss tugged Damara in before they left the Megidos alone and headed down the corridor back to their own room. Horuss smiled and gently pushed Equius shoulder.

“You really like her, right?”

“N-no…”

“Don’t lie Equius. I can see it.”

“Okay, maybe I do. But why does it matter?”

Horuss smile then disappeared and he sighed deeply.

“Just be careful… Love can hurt sometimes…”


	11. Old scars will last forever

When the next day arrived Horuss woke up early to get to finish were he left off in his work. It was for the best since all the servants had a lot of work to do so it was good to start early. As Horuss sat up in his bed and changed into his working clothes he woke up Equius as well. Equius groaned and rubbed his eyes with one hand and leaned on the other one.

“Good morning…”

“Good morning Equius. Are you ready for a new day?”

“Not really… But I believe it’s no reason to nag. I need to bring the prince his breakfast soon…”

Horuss nodded slowly before he sat up and then grabbed the comb from the night table. He walked up to a mirror that was hanging on the wall next to their closet. He slowly let out his long hair and dragged the comb’s teeth through it, trying to get rid of a few knots that had formed over the night. After he was finished he tied it up in his usual ponytail. Sadly it didn’t go as fast as usual because of the pain in his hand. He was surprised how a hand could hurt that much only by a bite… Equius frowned sadly at his brother and sat up better.

“Hasn’t it healed yet?”

“No. It’s pretty deep… But I can’t let it bother me! I have a lot of work to do.”

“But if you need to rest a bit, I can do most of the work.”

“I can’t let you do that Equius… You have enough work caring for the prince already.”

“But I know what I’m doing. Remember when we worked together at home? I did a lot of work then without any trouble. Father taught me everything.”

“…”

Horuss thought for a long moment before coming up with an answer. Equius was right. He knew how to create the best metal objects in history so it was nothing wrong with his skills. But Equius was still a growing troll and needed his rest and energy more than Horuss did. And he couldn’t just put the entire job into Equius hands right now… After a while he nodded slowly at his brother.

“I do admit I’ll need some help with a few projects I need to finish this week…”

“Then let me help you. Prince Gamzee had his new company pet now so he might not need me ALL the time.”

Horuss smiled and walked up to his brother, patting him on the shoulder. Sometimes he forgot that Equius was a really strong troll! They both had muscles strong as the metal they were working with, just like the horses they had grown up taking care of. Not to even mention how talented they were in the forge. Able to create jewelries, swords, helmets, weapons… Everything!

“Thank you Equius. I’ll start with my work now while you bring the prince his breakfast. I’ll meet you in the forge later then?”

“Alright!”

With that Horuss left the room while Equius got himself dressed and washed up. He then stepped out of the room and immediately headed to the kitchen. He wasn’t surprised to see that both Aradia and Damara was already up and preparing breakfast. He gently knocked on the already open door to get their attention. Aradia flinched and turned to face him, then she smiled and nodded at the tray of food on the table.

“Early as always Equius. There’s the tray.”

“Thanks Aradia. I’ll bring it to the prince at once.”

“Oh yes, before you go Equius!”

“Yes?”

Equius was just about to grab the tray as Aradia called for him over the frying pan. She smiled at him which made him blush again.

“I need to buy some more food at the market today. Would you like to come along?”

“Can I?”

“Of course! Damara will be a little busy cleaning the kitchen and the food storage.”

“O-of course I’ll go with you.”

“Great. I’ll tell you when I’m leaving.”

“Good!”

Equius grabbed the tray and left the two sisters alone in the kitchen to work while slowly walking up the stairs to the second floor. As soon as he went down the corridor and reached the princes room he politely knocked before entering. He found the prince mumbling in his sleep, deeply tugged in under his covers. Equius slowly placed the tray of food on Gamzees night table before turning quickly to leave. He didn’t want to cause any noise that could wake Gamzee. The young prince had a horrible morning mood. Equius flinched in shock and covered a yell as he almost tripped over something on the floor. He quickly turned around in the dark room and saw Nepeta sleeping deeply nearby his feet. Equius frowned a bit. What was she doing on the floor? She had a bed in the right corner reserved for her so why didn’t she use it?

He didn’t pay much attention to the reason and gently lifted the sleeping midblood from the floor and carried her back to her bed, gently placing her down. He could always ask her later about it but right now he had to help his brother. After he left the room he hurried down the stairway and out through the kitchens backdoor to get to the forge. Horuss was already there, trying to finish one of the jewelries. Equius entered the forge and walked up to his brother.

“I’m here now. What shall I do to help?”

“Hi Equius. Good that you came! Do you think you can hold this while I try to attach the gem?”

“Alright.”

After melting the silver a bit and letting it drop down on the oval form the older troll attached the gem on it and held them together with a tong. After a while the silver hardened and the gem and oval form was stuck to each other. He smiled and told Equius to fix the edges a bit so they would look smoother. As Equius did this Horuss began to work on the other necklace as well. Letting silver harden and attaching gems wasn’t really that hard but it took a lot of time when you were hurt. After about an hour and a half they were finished with the jewelries. The only thing that remained was to tie a black ribbon band around them.

Now they were finished! Horuss gently placed them in a little box where he left them before. Now he could give them to the prince when he asked later. Horuss sat down and wiped his forehead a bit. It wasn’t strange that he became sweaty from standing in front of a fire all day. Equius joined him and stretched his arms a bit before looking at his brother for a while.

“Horuss?”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever had a moirail?”

Horuss blinked and turned to face Equius who patiently waited for the answer. Horuss thought for a moment on that one. For as long as he could remember he had never been pale for anyone. Having a moirail or even BE a moirail had never crossed his mind and to be honest he thought that he would never have one in his life.

“No… I’ve never been pale for anyone.” 

“I see.”

“How about you Equius?”

“I believe you would have noticed if I had any pale interests. You watch me like a hawk sometimes.”

“I’m sorry for that but I need to look after you.”

“Are you sure you never ever felt pale for anyone?”

“Well… Not that I know.”

“Do you wish you had one?”

“Well umm… I don’t like to rush those feelings Equius! When I find a moirail I’ll find one. That’s all.”

Equius thought for a while before he stood up and stretched his arms. The job hadn’t been hard at all but it was nice to do anything other than watching over Gamzee all the time. He missed bending metal and create objects out of different metal material. After a while they both heard a voice coming from the doorway. Equius looked up and noticed that Aradia was standing there, holding two pretty big baskets. Horuss seemed rather confused but Equius told him that he was going to the market along with Aradia to help her out.

“Alright, But be careful. Also… Why aren’t more helpers coming along to shop?”

“We don’t need to buy that much and it’s a little boring going alone.”

“Of course. Well, have a nice trip.”

Both Aradia and Equius left the forge and Equius grabbed one of the baskets from Aradia as they wandered down the castle path. The walked past the garden and then out to the castle gate, down the path to the village. It didn’t take that long to reach the village, around 20 minutes or a half an hour. The market was pretty full so they had to watch out a bit so they wouldn’t lose each other at once. But to make the visit at the village go faster they decided to split the work in two. While Aradia headed to buy bread, oat and pumpkin seeds Equius went to the pick up some fruit. Aradia had handed him a list about everything that needed to be bought. He read ‘apples’ on the first point and headed directly to the apple stand. Many other trolls were there too of course collecting several in a bag for themselves. Equius carefully examined the fruit to pick out the finest looking ones. Who else wouldn’t do the same? Equius tried to avoid any sort of eye contact with other trolls during his job. There was no reason in starting any kinds of conversations with strangers during their visit to the village.

After paying for the apples he put them into his basket and looked around for the other items on the list. Next were carrots. Equius couldn’t help but smile to himself as he only thought about the horses in the stable. Apples and carrot were great treats for them and to be honest Equius LOVED carrots and apples. He was just about to head towards the crates with carrots when suddenly he heard Aradias voice not far away. She sounded angry and yelled at someone. Equius turned and looked through the crowd and saw Aradia by the oat and bread stand being pestered by a pretty tall adult troll male. He seemed to be a turquoise blood and had short cut hair and nice clothes. Apparently he must have thought that Aradia was a joymate because of her blood colour and tried to hit on her.

“Leave me alone you bastard!”

“Oh my, looks like you got some nerve for a lowblood. Maybe I should teach you a lesson.”

“LET ME GO!”

Aradia yelled as the other troll grabbed her wrist almost causing her to drop her groceries. Aradia was strong indeed and she wasn’t going to let some creep have his way with her! The man started to pull her towards him to group her but never got that far. After watching his dear friend getting so horribly treated something snapped inside Equius and he pushed himself through the light crowd, storming up to Aradia and the adult troll. In only a few seconds Equius had raised his fist, dashed up in high speed and punched the male troll so hard in his face that you could hear horrible cracking noise through the air. The turquoise blood fell to the ground and groaned in pain as his jaw was probably broken. Equius was frozen on the spot, panting heavily and was still clenching his fists. He then realized what he had done. He had used his strength to hurt other even thought Horuss had forbidden him to do so! But this was an emergency and protection of his friends!

A lot of trolls around the area had noticed and witness the whole ‘accident’ and glared at the two young trolls. Aradia woke up from her shock and grabbed Equius arm, pulling him after her as they fled the scene. They ran down the street and managed to hide in an alley a bit away from the area. Equius leaned against the brick wall and sighed deeply.

“I’m sorry… I never… I mean I… I didn’t mean to…”

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“For helping me back there. I believe this is the curse of being a rust blood… I am so worthless that the only thing other trolls see in me is a slave…”

“I-I don’t! I think you’re gorgeous!”

Equius flinched as he had just spoken forbidden words or at least it felt like it. He quickly hid his face in his hands who already had got an indigo shade from blushing. He felt the sweat run down his forehead and he just wanted to disappear. Aradia looked at him for a while before she smiled warmly and gave his head a gently pat.

“Thank you Equius. That means a lot.”

Equius didn’t answer, only nodded in shame. He felt so stupid for being so obvious that he was indeed flushed for Aradia. Aradia was just about to ask Equius a question when suddenly the crowd out at the market started yelling and backing up. Both Aradia and Equius flinched in shock as they both heard screams and crying not far away and several trolls protested for a reason. They went out from the alley and looked around to see what was going on all of sudden. Not far away from where they were was a boutique called ‘Maryams’. It was a clothes and jewelry store that was indeed owned by the two Maryam sisters. Both Equius and Aradia noted that several guards had surrounded the shop and had dragged out the both jade blooded sisters on the market area. Both of them were kicking and screaming as they were being held back roughly and the soldiers were plundering their shop of everything.

Porrym screamed in anger and protest as the guards took everything they owned. The guards were from the Ampora kingdom and were out after new working power for the Amporas. Sadly, Kanaya and Porrym was their next target and now their shop was being emptied to later be burned down to the ground. Kanaya yelled and kicked the guard who was holding her back between his legs which made him flinch in pain and let her go. She angrily started to punch and kick at one of the guards back, yelling at them in a high voice. The blueblooded guard troll frowned at her before he gave her a hard smack across the face. Kanaya stumbled backwards and rubbed her cheek. It stung after the hit. Porrym flinched and managed to get out of the guards grip herself and hurried up to her sister, wrapping her arms around her. With eyes that could kill she glared in hate at the guards and soldiers who were wrecking their shop and home into pieces.

“Stop it you filthy monsters! Why are you even doing this!? We pay rent and never miss out on it!”

“Shut up you brats! King Dualscar demands more workers in his castle and you two are the ones he want!”

The two Maryam sisters held each other closer as their shop was soon put into flames. Many trolls around the market baked away and everyone stayed quiet. If they said anything they might get into trouble. Both Equius and Aradia did the same. They felt bad for the sisters of course and it wasn’t long before both Kanaya and Porrym was dragged away by the soldiers. Some of them stayed at the market area to make sure that the fire didn’t spread and that it was put out when the shop was completely burned to the ground. All that remained now was a huge burned pile of broken wood and stone and an empty spot between a few houses. Aradia frowned and clenched the grip around the baskets handle. When was this madness going to end!?

“When will those damn Royal monsters stop this!? Taking trolls from their homes and families, forcing them to work for the rest of their lives as slaves… Urgh! I hate them!”

“I know Aradia… I do hope they’ll be alright though…”

“The Maryams? Yes… Me too. Oh well… Maybe we should get back to the castle before the king sends out soilders to come and drag us back by force…”

“Yes maybe.”

With that the two young trolls left the market and slowly headed back to the Makara castle. Equius thought for a long time about the horrible actions that had happened at the market. He sure hoped that the Maryams would be alright. Neither Equius or Aradia knew that much about the Amporas but it still had to be better than the Makaras! After about half an hour they were back at the castle. Just as they came around the front entrance they heard hissing and yelling at once.

The entrance door flew open and a guard was pulling out a mad and struggling midblood troll after him. Both Equius and Aradia knew that it was one of the new trolls, the older one of them. She was probably company pet to prince Kurloz and was just as wild as Nepeta. Aradia carefully took a step closer and observed the guard trying to drag Meulin after him by brutal force.

“What’s going on?”

“This runt has bitten the prince badly in the face and will be punished for it! If I were you two I would go back to work! Now!”

Meulin was dragged around the castle and taken to the backyard were a huge tree pole was dug into the ground. She was chained to it with a collar around her neck like a normal barkbeast. She hissed and tried to scratch after the guard but it didn’t go so well since the chain was holding her back. Both Equius and Aradia had followed the whole scene to the backyard and were quietly watching how Meulin struggled her chain from the wall edge. The blue blooded guard troll frowned at her and yelled out in a high voice to make her stop.

“Save you energy to when you’ll really need it you beast! You won’t receive any food until tomorrow! The kings order!”

With that he left Meulin alone all chained up and furious. The olive blood didn’t care if she had hurt the prince at all! Sure he was… nice to her but she hated the fact that this kingdom had burned down her home, taken her sister from her and was treating her as a pet! She wasn’t going to let them break her! She was going to get away! Equius bit his lip and looked at Aradia for a while.

“Shall we… try to talk to her?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Equius. She seems furious and we have work to do.”

“That’s true… Hmm… Let’s go back to the kitchen.”

The two trolls turned and went back to the kitchen by the backdoor. Equius wondered about how Nepeta felt being away from her sister. At least Equius and Aradia was allowed to share a room with their siblings and spend time with them. But the company pets usually weren’t allowed to be near their family. They were only allowed to be as close to their ‘masters’ as possible. Soon they were close to the kitchen and stepped inside. A strong scent of frying meat hit both Equius and Aradia as they stepped inside. Equius felt his stomach twist and he tried to hold the mask as well as he could. Deeply inside he wanted to puke at the horrible scent. Since Equius and Horuss were vegetarians they never got close to raw or cooked meat at all. Damara was making a late lunch for the whole kingdom and had much left to do. She quickly turned to Aradia with an irritated look that was pleading for help. 

“Good that you’re back! Can you to please place the groceries on the table and Aradia.. You can start by chopping vegetables!”

“Sure Damara.”

Aradia placed her basket on the table and picked out some of the apples and bread. Equius slowly walked up behind her, ready to place down his basket as well. Just as Aradia moved aside to let him through he stopped by the horrible sight of a huge cut of raw meat lying on the table. He shivered and almost dropped his basket. Aradia quickly caught it before it slipped out of Equius hands and looked at him with a worried face.

“Equius? Are you alright?”

Equius felt his stomach turn even more and he felt like puking up his breakfast. The raw and bloody meat looked strangely familiar. He could recognize it from a flesh wound he once saw from one of the horses in his family’s stable. This couldn’t be… Horse meat? From the horses in the kings stable? Equius quickly turned to Damara and tried hard to make the words pass his lips.

“W-what kind of meat is this!?”

Damara turned at him with a questionable face and paused in her cooking. She wiped her hands on her apron and sighed deeply, moving her hair aside.

“It’s horse meat. The king made us slaughter one of the older horses in the stable today. He thought it wouldn’t last much longer and we needed more meat he said.”

“W-what color was the h-horse, Damara?”

“I believe it was grey. What sense does that make?”

Equius didn’t have to hear more. He stormed out through the kitchens back door again and ran as fast as he could to the stables. He didn’t care if he weren’t allowed in there or not. He needed to be sure! It couldn’t have been Blackie! Not her! Oh please not HER! Equius slammed himself against the stable door and panted heavily, fighting the tears forming in his eyes when he opened the door. He slowly walked down the stable corridor and followed the boxes before he ended up at the one he had seen Blackie in before. His heart almost exploded in relief as he saw his old own Blackie standing there, looking at him with big brown eyes. She was alive. It must have been another poor horse that was killed for its meat… Equius slowly opened the boxer and stepped inside it. He couldn’t hold the tears back and threw his arms around Blackie’s neck, nuzzling against it.

“Blackie… I thought- I-I-“

Without much more that was able to escape his throat he almost fell to his knees but held himself up thanks to Blackie’s warm neck. He was so happy and relieved that she was safe. She was old… but she still had her strength and energy left so she wasn’t useless. She also was a beauty! If she was ever slaughtered for food… NO! Equius didn’t want to think about it… He just kept hugging her neck without matter if someone would come inside. He just needed to feel her warmth for a while longer.  

He could soon hear that someone was walking through the stable but he didn’t care who it was. If it was a guard or one of the princes he still wouldn’t matter. He needed to be sure that Blackie was alright! Soon he heard Aradias voice behind him and he quickly turned, trying to wipe his tears away.

“Equius?”

“W-what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be preparing horse meat?”

“Nah. Damara got some help from the other kitchen maids. We’re not alone in the kitchen you know. How are you feeling?”

“Just shooked… I thought that it was…”

“That it was Blackie? Yeah I could understand that.”

“It’s just… I thought I’ve lost her for good when I first got here and then I saw that she was alive… And if she was slaughtered now I… I’ve would have lost a childhood friend of mine too early!”

“Equius. Calm down. She’s alright.”

“But it could have been her! Who owns her now!? Is it the king?”

“I said I don’t know. I don’t know if she belongs to Kurloz or Gamzee, maybe she’s even only here for food.”

“Don’t say that!”

“I’m sorry. But it might be the truth. I don’t know Equius. I only take care of them!”

“I was just so scared…”

Aradia sighed deeply before smiling warmly. She opened the boxer door and walked in, grabbing Equius arm. Equius refused at first but allowed Aradia to pull him away from the horse and then out in the stable corridor again. Aradia slowly led Equius down the corridor until they reached a ladder that led up to the haymow. Equius blinked a little confused but followed Aradia as they climbed up the ladder and soon crawled up on all the hay. Aradia giggled and rolled around a little, causing hay to stuck to her hair. Equius smiled a little and lay down as well next to her. He felt a little better now after calming down. Aradia sat up again, hay stuck to her hair and a wide smile stuck on her face.

“I usually just climb up here whenever I feel like life isn’t worth living. It makes me feel a little better.”

“Lying in itchy and pointy hay in a stable?”

“Yes. Doesn’t it feel better for you?”

“To be honest… A little!”

Aradia smiled wider. As she felt her hand through the pointy hay she thought back at her old home and how it had been for her in the past. Both she and Damara were… imported slaves. That meant they were not from here. Damara and Aradia came from and island far away from here were they had lived in a village with their mother in peace. Slavery didn’t quite exist on their island except for house help maybe. Not many trolls have lived on that island to be honest. Mostly rust bloods and bronze bloods. Neither Aradia hadn’t seen the outside of the Island But Damara had when her new matesprite and friend Rufioh came to pick her up from the Island and fly across the ocean to reach his home instead. Aradia had always wondered what Damara did when she was so far away but it didn’t quiet matter that much. It was Damara’s choice after all, Aradia was just a little jealous. The Megidos mother was called ‘The Handmaid’ and she was a beautiful rustblood just like her daughters. She had the magical abilities but didn’t use them that often.

Since the island was rather peaceful they didn’t had to worry about wars or enemies. But that changed one day as Purple blooded trolls invaded the island as well as Violet bloods. In fear and terror most lowbloods tried to flee but got captured and in worst care killed. The highbloods had come to collect new slaves for their own good, mostly for the kingdoms. The Handmaid had done her best to protect her girls just like any other parent would do. She had even fought well to kill several of the highbloods as they attacked their village. House was burned down, children and parents split from each other and blood was spilled. The peaceful island was now in the claws of evil and greed. The Handmaid quickly picked up Aradia and yelled for Damara to follow her. They couldn’t stay and needed to flee as fast as they could. Both Damara and Aradia were too young to use their powers so their mother had to use her own to save them. They managed to run down to the beach and away from the village. Some of the highbloods had seen them and chased them of course, this weren’t going to be easy at all.

Rustbloods had psychic powers and could lift objects and make them float in the air, even their own bodies. She had used her powers to throw objects at the other trolls and even the enemies away from her and her family. The handmaid wondered if she could make it if she flied herself and her children over the ocean. It was a long way but maybe it could work! But it maybe would be better if she escaped by boat. Sadly as many of the other lowbloods they never got far. The highbloods had captured the Megidos at the beach after firing arrows at the Handmaid. She had hissed and roughly pulled out three arrows from her body and covered her children as the purple bloods came closer. The handmaid growled at them and warned them that she wouldn’t show any mercy if they touched her children.

After being brutally beaten to death in front of her children the Handmaid gave her last breath, all bloody and bruised in the sand. Aradia and Damara were captured by the highblood trolls and were taken to the ship. They had been tied and placed by several others from their village. They were about to get sold at a slave market later. Sadly for rustblood… the best work for them was as ‘joymates’… Sold to trolls who were going to do whatever they wanted to them, mostly in the bed. Sure Damara and Aradia were kids but in a few sweeps they would be excellent joymates. Damara had tried her best to calm her sister down but it was to no good result. They had stayed silent most of the trip after seeing a young troll woman from their village being whipped unconscious after putting up a fight.

After several hours they finally reached land. Tired, shocked and thirsty the Megidos were taken along as the other trolls to a market in the new town they had arrived in. They were put up on a line still tied and beaten, facing richer trolls who looked around for slaves. Some were highblood of Blue and Indigo colour and some seemed to be soldiers. After a short while a few blue blooded guards with strange looking paint in their faces and strange scar marking on their arms stopped by the stand. After a while of talking to the seller both Damara and Aradia were picked out and taken away from the last trolls they knew from their home island. They had now been sold to the Makara kingdom as slaves. Since they were so young they wouldn’t fit the job as joymates and became kitchen staff instead. But they were warned that when they got older and if they disobeyed order or screwed things up… They would be sold to new owners that wouldn’t treat them good at all.

Aradia shook her head to get the bad memories out of her head. She noticed that Equius was looking at her all worried. He wanted to ask her what she was thinking about but she just shook her head and sighed.

“I’m alright. You don’t have to worry. I was just thinking about the past a little. So, are you feeling better now Equius?”

“Yes. I feel a lot better. Maybe we should return to our work soon?”

“Of course. But just a few more minutes up here. It’s so relaxing.”


	12. Work for it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Leijons are now permenantly company pets to the Makaras.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon the Ampora Kingdom will appear :33

Horuss had just finished most of his work in the forge and was ready to go and pick up a snack by the kitchen as always. He was allowed to take small food breaks as long as his work was done in time. He had already finished making the company pet necklaces so he would bring them to the prince’s right after his break. Just as he were about to open the back door to the kitchen he could hear hissing and scratching coming from nearby. It came right around the corner and Horuss got a bit curious about it. He slowly walked around the corner and noticed the midblood that had bit him! His wound was still not fully healed and the thought of the other trolls teeth made his hand hurt even more. The oliveblood was hissing and pulling a chain that was attached to a collar around her neck. She was madly pulling it but without any kind of success to break free. Horuss gulped a bit decided to take a few steps closer.

“Excuse me miss?”

Meulin froze on the spot and tried backing up from the Indigo blood, hissing at him loudly. Horuss could understand that she was afraid but he still wanted to ask her a few things. He could see that she was well dressed but her clothes was sadly a bit torn and dirty thanks to her actions. He gently pulled his ponytail a bit, trying to think about a way to start a conversation. Meulin stared at him with big and wide eyes, growling softly at him.

“What do you want!?”

“I… I just want to ask you a thing. If you don’t mind.”

“Ask me what!?”

“W-why did you bit me before? What did I do wrong to make you so mad at me?”

Meulin frowned but stopped hissing and growling. She waited for a while before she stood up straight and crossed her arms. Her tail was wagging in irritation.

“You scared me. That’s all.”

“I’m sorry I did. But you were quite rude and an apology would be nice.”

Meulin growled and jumped at him, trying to scratch after him. The chain was holding her back so she almost strangled herself as she launched herself at him. Horuss gasped and took a few steps back, avoiding being scratch by the olive blood. She sure seemed angry.

“Apology!? APOLOGUISE!? To a highblood!? NOT IN A MILLION SWEEPS!!”

“What in the world is wrong with you!?”

“GET AWAY FROM ME YOU MONSTER!”

Horuss quickly ran away from the backside, back to the kitchen door. He quickly got inside and panted heavily. His heart was beating fast since he was afraid. He noticed that both Aradia and Damara were staring at him without a word. He smiled a bit and brushed off some dirt from his apron.

“I’m sorry for rushing in like this… I just tried to have a conversation with one of the new trolls.”

Aradia looked at him and put the knife she was using for cutting meat. Horuss flinched by the sight of the meat but shook his head, not trying to bother it. He indeed found it disgusting though.

“You mean the oliveblood?”

“Yes I do.”

“The older one locked outside for the moment? Apparently she was punished because she bit the prince.”

“I’m not surprised to be honest. She seems like a wild one. I almost feel sorry for the prince for having her as his company pet.”

Damara looked up from her own working station and gave Horuss a calm stare.

“She must be in shock you know. Mad and confused about her future here. Give her some time.”

“Well I believe you’re right. But she called me a monster for no reason..”

“Did you piss her off?”

“I just tried to talk to her!”

Horuss frowned a bit, pretty mad at the moment. The olivebloods were rude! Awfully rude to be honest. He slowly grabbed an apple from the table and then a smaller fruit knife, slowly slicing the apple in smaller pieces. He slowly chewed them down while thinking. She must have been through a hard time around highblood trolls if she hated them this much. Not even bothering to get to know them but yelled at them all instead. Horuss then had to admit that he would like to get to know her a little. Maybe he would be able to understand why she hated highbloods and what had happened to her. Maybe he could help her as well. Yet he wondered when he should give the necklaces to the princes.

Damara woke him up from his daydreaming while placing a kiss on his cheek. Horuss flinched and blushed a bit while Damara only giggled.

“W-what was that for!?”

“Nothing. You just looked like you needed one.”

“Umm… Thanks Damara but please don’t do that. It’s… strange.”

“Actually it’s natural. But I’ll stop if you really want me to. Or… I’ll think about it.”

Damara smiled returned to cooking and so did Aradia. Just as Horuss were about to leave he heard Aradia calling for him.

“Horuss! If you’re looking for Equius he’s with prince Gamzee for the moment.”

“Oh, thank you Aradia.”

Meanwhile, Equius had to watch Gamzee torture poor Nepeta some more. He was pushing her limits hard with his wild acts and games and he refused to let his company pet rest even for a second. Nepeta soon fell to the floor and panted heavily, exhausted from running around the room trying to flee the young prince. Gamzee frowned in boredom and stepped roughly on Nepeta’s tail. It sent pain right through her spine and she yelled in shock trying to get up. Gamzee smirked and lifted her up from the floor.

“Hey… No need for resting, sis. Your job is to entertain me you know.”

Nepeta hissed at him but remained calm. Equius bit his lip and slowly walked up to Gamzee and Nepeta. He noticed that Gamzee almost immediately got irritated over nothing but he didn’t matter that much.

“Excuse me you majesty. But perhaps you should let your company pet relax for a bit. She seems awfully exhausted for the moment.”

“Equius… Do I look like I motherfucking care?”

“N-no… But I still think you’re treating her bad! And as a prince you should show your staff more respect! At least your brother is.”

“But I’m not Kurloz… I’m way better than him! I know how to have FUN Equius! And you’re annoying right now! Shut up and sit down until I’ve finished playing!”

Equius sighed and did as he was told. Gamzee was a rude young troll who never really cared about what other felt. He always put himself first in front of everyone. Gamzee had turned pretty meaner as he grew older but when he was younger he was actually pretty nice. Oh well, no need to dig deeper into the past. The thing to do was only to accept the fact that you were a servant and didn’t have your own voice. While The prince and his company pet ‘played’, Equius started to think about Blackie again. He imagined himself riding through the woods again, feeling the wind hit his face and hair as he dashed by the trees and bushes, the warm sun warming his and Blackie’s skin and their heartbeats raise. It would be so wonderful to ride again. He sighed deeply as he thought about it… Blackie wasn’t his anymore and he would probably never get her back anyway. Soon he noticed that Gamzee was standing in front of him with an irritated look on his face. Lately the young prince had been awfully irritated for no reason around his caretaker.

“Is there anything I can do for you, your majesty?”

“Equius…”

“Yes?”

“Your horn…”

“My… horn sir? What’s the matter? You’ve mention it before but-“

“It’s annoying!”

“What?”

“That stupid little stump… It doesn’t match your other horn!”

“I… I know that, your majesty. But there’s nothing I can do about it. Ever since that punishment my horn has been like this. I can’t-“

“Break it off then…”

“P-pardon!?”

“Break off that stupid stump!”

Equius flinched by Gamzee’s sudden and uncomfortable request. He didn’t want to break it off! If he did… It might as well never grow out right again. He shivered and sighed deeply, slightly touching the broken horn stump on his head. He couldn’t! He noticed how Gamzee almost waited for him to do it. Luckily the cold moment was broken off by Nepeta sneezing loudly. Gamzee forgot all about Equius in the speed of light and returned to playing with Nepeta. Equius almost felt like falling to his knees at the moment. Both in relief and sadness. He excused himself and left the room quietly. Maybe he should head to the kitchen for a quick chat with Aradia. He slowly walked down the big corridors and then down the stairs again.

To his surprise he met Horuss on his way down and stopped to greet him. His brother smiled at him and nodded, taking his googles off.

“Equius! Good thing I ran into you. I’ve got something for Prince Gamzee’s company pet.”

Equius blinked a little confused as Horuss handed him a necklace. It had a purple ribbon band with the little oval jewelry attached to it. Equius then realized it was the company pet necklaces they had worked on before. He understood that it must be time to hand them to the royals now. He looked up at Horuss who seemed a bit tired at the moment. He sure could need a break from work.

“Are you alright?”

“Hmm? Yes I’m fine. Just tired. Can you hand that to Gamzee right away?”

“Umm… Of course I can. Will you leave the other one to Kurloz now?”

“Yes, I’m on my way actually.”

Equius sighed as he turned and started to head back to Gamzee’s room again. To be honest he didn’t want to but he was the young prince caretaker so he didn’t have much choice. It didn’t take long before he was back at Gamzee’s room and slowly opened the door. Gamzee didn’t pay much attention to his caretaker until Equius gently patted him on the shoulder. Gamzee looked up at Equius from the floor where he sat and blinked slowly. Equius slowly held out the necklace and waited for the prince to take it.

“It’s the property necklace, your majesty.”

“Oh… Thank you Equius. Okay. Come here.”

Nepeta frowned as Gamzee approached her with the jewelry. She backed up and avoided all kinds of contact with the prince as he tried to put it around her neck. Soon Gamzee grew tired of Nepetas behavior and frowned at Equius. It was all the same. When something didn’t go Gamzee’s way he took it out on Equius or made sure that his caretaker fixed it all.

“Equius! Make her hold still!”

Equius sighed deeply and walked up to Nepeta. She frowned but didn’t hiss at him this time at least. Equius told her to hold still and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. She showed signs of disappointment and anger but allowed Gamzee to put the necklace around her neck. It fit her well in Equius opinion. Gamzee smiled in delight as Nepeta was now his company pet for life. The necklace was a proof on it. Nepeta on the other hand wanted to rip it off at once but she knew that if she did… maybe Equius would get in trouble for it.

Meanwhile Horuss had just reached Kurloz’s door and politely knocked before entering. He saw Kurloz standing by the window, looking out without a word. Horuss at once understood that he must be staring out after his company pet. Horuss sighed and slowly walked up to the prince, standing next to him for a while. Kurloz didn’t seem to bother that Horuss were even there but the indigo blood still nicely handed over the necklace to him.

“The necklace, you majesty.”

“…”

“Might I ask if the bite from your company pet is serious?”

Kurloz sighed deeply as he gently placed the necklace on his table, slowly shaking his head. Horuss nodded slowly and rubbed his own hand as well. It was healing but very slow. Horuss were just about to ask Kurloz more questions about his company pet but got cut off when he noticed Kurloz angry look on his face. He sure showed that Horuss company made him irritated. Horuss sighed and bowed before he left the room without a word. After closing the door he returned to the forge, avoiding guards on the way. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone anymore.

Soon the dark appeared and the evening arrived. Dinner had been served, the kitchen cleaned and the royals were ready for bed. Equius had made sure that both Gamzee and Nepeta were sleeping before he returned to the forge. When he entered the forge he noticed that Horuss had just finished cleaning up for the day and was resting on a bench. He was listening to the hissing and struggling of Meulin trying to break free from her chain. He looked troubled as he listened to the noise. Equius observed his brother with a worried face.

“Is she locked out?”

“Yes… And chained.”

“But… It’ll get cold these nights even if it’s warm at day. She might catch a cold.”

“The royalty doesn’t care. They just want to punish and discipline their slaves by brutal force. I’m worried for her…”

Equius thought for a moment before he suggested something that could make them both get in trouble.

“Shall we help her out? Only for tonight?”

Equius was ready for Horuss to yell at him, telling him that it was a crazy and mad idea that could cost them a lot. But instead he nodded and rose up from the bench, removing his apron. He hung it up by a hook near the forges door before he slowly marched to the castles backside and stopped a few feet away from the olive blood. Meulin was exhausted, messy and angry. She was resting on the ground with the chain still holding her in place. She must have given up for today Horuss thought to himself. He slowly and carefully approached her as she was sitting on her knees, panting slowly and with a hanging head. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and prepared himself for her sudden surprised reaction.

Meulin jumped a bit but didn’t hiss at him. She was too tired for that. Horuss sighed deeply as he watched the poor and outworn midblood. She needed to rest. And probably some water as well. He knelt down to her level and looked at her with a calm expression.

“Do you want to come inside the forge? It’s warmer there than out here.”

“…”

“Only if you want, miss.”

“…I can’t. I’m stuck out here…”

“I see that. But I’m here to help you. Will you allow me to help you?”

“…yes.”

Horuss smiled warmly before he rose up on his feet again. He grabbed the chain that was holding Meulin and took a few deep breaths before he started pulling it. After a few pulls he managed to break it thanks to that Indigo bloods were rather strong trolls. Actually… They could break items easily with their bare hands without any problem. But they managed to take control and build up their strength as adults. Horuss had more control over his strength than Equius and had more stamina and ability. But Equius would learn in time. The now broken chain fell to the ground and Meulin was free. She was too tired thought to go anywhere so Horuss had to help her up on her feet and lead her back to the forge in silence. If anyone saw them they wouldn’t be able to picture a punishment big enough for this.

Horuss gently let Meulin sit down on the bench in the forge and Equius wrapped a blanket around her. Horuss then told Equius to go to bed as he could take care of Meulin. Equius nodded and whished them both a good night before he left the forge. Their room weren’t far away from the forge anyway. Meulin lifted her knees up to her chest and then wrapped her arms around them. She was staring at the floor without much of a word escaping her lips. Horuss scratched his hair a bit before he stood up and reached for a pitcher on the working bench. It was filled with water and he poured some of it up in a bowl and reached it to Meulin. He should have poured it up in a glass but he didn’t have one nearby at the moment. Meulin stared at the bowl before she snatched it out of his hand and sipped in the liquid like crazy.

Horuss flinched and tried to make her slow down. She could choke herself! Meulin was soon finished drinking and handed the bowl to Horuss again. He slowly took it from her and placed it back on the working bench again. Meulin sighed and moved some of her hair aside as it had been caught in her mouth while drinking. She wiped some dripping water off her lips as well, coughed a little and then remained silent again for a while. Horuss slowly walked up to her and stopped right next to her. He politely pointed at the seat next to her, asking if he was allowed to join her. Meulin nodded and he quickly sat down next to her, placing his hands on his legs. Meulin looked at him for a while before she broke the ice.

“I’m sorry I bit you…”

“Huh?”

“I said I was sorry that I bit you before… It wasn’t very nice of me.”

“Well… No it wasn’t. It was rather mean and-“

“Unsophisticated and blah blah- Yeah I’ve heard it before.”

“I just meant- never mind…”

“Me and my sister use the biting and scratching as self-protection. Easy as that! But I know it’s bad. But that’s the way we work. Midbloods…”

“I didn’t mean to say anything bad about your blood colour or status.”

“Maybe not… But I hate being a midblood anyway! We’re meant since the day we were born to become ‘objects’ or ‘helpers’. Always that! We’re lucky not to be like the lowbloods to work until we drop dead… But we still don’t have it much better than them anyway. Just a tiny bit better but that’s all!”

“You shouldn’t hate being who you are.”

“Easy for you to say! You’re a highblood and you have more right than any of us lower status trolls…”

“But I work under the power of a king. I don’t have much right at all anymore. I can’t say a thing without getting in trouble. I may not be a caretaker but I’ll still get in trouble if I speak my mind.”

“That must be… very sad.”

“Maybe… But it’s the life and you have to accept it. Actually… you and you’re sister are pretty lucky.”

“In what way!? I got chained today!”

“Maybe so. But you were not beaten. And the prince will look after you and make sure that you won’t get hurt. A company pet is a good thing. You’ll get to eat good, live good and you can go around the castle however you like. When you have the necklace.”

“What necklace?”

“Oh yes! The prince has it right now. It's a jewelry that will make you his for the rest of time and that you’re allowed to walk free and no one will lay a finger on you.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“His… forever!?”

“Well… I believe he told you what a company pet is?”

“Indeed he did. And I hated the idea from the start!”

“Please, miss-“

“Meulin.”

“M-meu…lin.”

“Something wrong?”

“No no. It was just a pretty name.”

“O-oh. Thank you.”

“I’m Horuss.”

“That’s a nice name as well.”

“Thank you!”

Meulin looked down for a moment before looking back up at Horuss. Her eyes were full of questions and curiosity.

“What exactly is your relationship to the prince?”

“Prince Kurloz? Well…”

“Are you his caretaker?”

“No no! Nothing like that… You see, I was SUPPOSED to be his caretaker from the very beginning but he refused to accept me as one. To be honest I didn’t like the idea either so I didn’t have anything against NOT being a caretaker of his. Equius became a caretaker though to prince Gamzee and it’s not going that well. Me and prince Kurloz… well we do get along, sometimes… But mostly we’re avoiding each other.”

“Why is that?”

“We just… Don’t seem to ‘”like” each other’s company that much. He’s a prince and I’m a worker. That’s it.”

“But you do talk to him?”

“I can’t really do that. Prince Kurloz usually doesn’t speak at all. He used to have a friend who helped him with his speech but that friend was transferred to another castle. The Peixes castle. Mituna was his name and after Mituna left, no one helped prince Kurloz to speak again. Well… Actually prince Kurloz refused to speak again after that. He’s having a hard time making words leave his throat and is seemed to be… Mute. He is able to talk but refuses to. He can’t in public. He communicates through writing and in rare cases sign language. And… I can’t really talk to him and he doesn’t want to talk to me either.”

“Oh… I see.”

“Why do you wonder?”

“No, just curious. I know sign language so he doesn't have to write to me.” 

"Is that so? Might I ask why you learned it?" 

"Well... I'm half deaf. I can hear, but not that good. I can hear you when you talk but not that good. I'm better at feeling vibrations in the ground though. A hunting skill." 

"Oh, that's quite facinating."

Meulin gave Horuss a wide smile and wrapped the blanket better around herself. She was getting tired. Horuss could see it and stood, reaching out his hand to her.

“If you want you can sleep with us? I can make sure to wake you up early so you can return to the spot again.”

“Thanks…”

With that the two trolls left the forge and headed to the Zahhak’s room. Horuss sure knew that he was taking a huge risk by helping Meulin. But he couldn’t let her catch a cold outside during the night. With some luck he should be able to bring the young midblood back in the morning without getting caught by any guards.

The night passed by in peace without any trouble and as told Horuss woke Meulin up early in the morning. Meulin yawned and stretched before she rose up from the floor. She was used to sleeping on the ground, it didn’t bother her at all. Horuss quickly washed his face and got dressed before he helped Meulin out of his and his brother’s bedroom, leading her back to the castles backside. Meulin glared at the wooden pole again with anger. She didn’t want to be chained to it again. Horuss looked at Meulin with a rather sad look.

“I’m sorry… But if the guards finds out that you’ve escaped you’ll be in much deeper trouble than this.”

“I know... I just hate being chained…”

“Who doesn’t? Well… I could go and grab a new chain from the forge since I’ve broke the old one from before. Or else…”

“Or else?”

“Perhaps I could… Escort you back to the Prince. You were only meant to be out here for one night after all. I might get in trouble but…”

“So you mean that YOU can do it and not a guard?”

“If you want? I believe that the prince wouldn’t care THAT much for WHO’s bringing you back to his room…”

“Better than a guard… Alright.”

Horuss gently hooked arms with Meulin and lead her to the kitchens back door. The kitchen was empty as they entered, neither Aradia nor Damara were up at the moment. They were rather early after all. He lead Meulin back to the hallway and then up the stairs. All the way back to Kurloz’s room. He gently opened the door slowly and quietly as they both knew that Kurloz must still be sleeping by now. Meulin slowly crept inside the room and sat down on the fur rug on the floor, not far away from the prince’s bed. She smiled and nodded toward Horuss before he closed the door after him. Now he should return to his room and rest a bit more before work.

The slightly sound from the door shutting woke Kurloz up from his sleep. He didn’t even seem to have been sleeping at all. Too be honest he couldn’t sleep after his company pet had been locked outside for the night. He didn’t want to risk her getting sick… but she needed to learn how to behave after all. Kurloz slowly sat up in his bed, spacing out over the room until his eyes fell on Meulin, sitting on the floor without a word. He gave her a long stare. She was a little messy but she didn’t seem to be cold, sick or tired. She looked alright. He smiled gently and removed the blanket from his body, letting his feet touch the floor as he rose up from the bed. His hair was even messier than before, a result after a night of twisting and turning around. He was wearing a pair of night pants in a black fabric but no shirt or gown. By the end of the bed was a purple thin robe laying. Kurloz slowly grabbed it and wrapped it around himself. It was made out of silk.

He still had a smile on his lips, not too wide just gentle and calm. He slowly walked up to the table next to his closet were he picked up a small little box. It was dressed in a darkblue fabric with golden thread. It looked like a tiny little jewelry box. Kurloz slowly opened it and gently pulled out the necklace that Horuss had been working on before. The purple little oval stone and the black silk ribbon holding it was just gorgeous. Kurloz admitted that he admired the Zahhaks work. They were quite skilled for their young age! The prince turned to his company pet, holding up the necklace to show her. Meulin didn’t bother and turned her face to stare at the side instead. If he was trying to bribe her it was not going to work at all. She didn’t want to accept anything like jewelry from him. She already hated all the stupid jewelry she was forced to wear before already so why would she get happy for more?

Kurloz slowly walked up to her and knelt down to her level, showing the necklace to her more closely. He wanted her to at least try to appreciate his ways of being kind towards her. He knew that his father and brother were far away from kind towards either servants, workers, caretakers or company pets. Gamzee loved to torment his caretaker and other servants close to him. He was probably not nice towards his own company pet either. And their father… well… Executions, torture, power and jokes was the only thing he ever cared for… Kurloz slowly approached Meulins neck with the necklace, ready to put it on but Meulin quickly jerked back. She refused. Kurloz sighed and tried once again to put the necklace on but the midblood hissed and refused.

Kurloz frowned now in irritation. He was tired and pretty fed up by Meulins act right now. All he wanted was to put a necklace around her neck. He wasn’t going to hurt her! He kept on trying but Meulin moved aside and avoided his touch every time he tried. Finally the prince stood up and quickly placed himself behind the grumpy midblood and managed to put the necklace on from behind. He moved in front of Meulin again to get a better view. The necklace was on. It fit her nicely. Well at least Kurloz thought so while Meulin only growled at him. She immediately started to gently tug the silk ribbon a bit but Kurloz stopped her, shaking his head. He sighed but allowed a smile to appear on his lips instead. He moved up his right hand to sign to her again. Meulin may only be half deaf but Kurloz couldn’t speak after all. And he didn’t have to write all the time when someone other in the castle than him wanted to read his signs.

“ _I understand that you’re mad. But this necklace means that you’re mine now. It will tell others that you belong to me and that no one other than me can touch you. No one is allowed to hurt you or take you away from me like before._ ”

“…Really!? What if I bite you again then?”

“ _If you misbehave you’ll be locked up in my bedroom instead of outside. Before you didn’t have the necklace and that meant that you weren’t truly my company pet. But now you are, for real and permanently._ ”

Meulin frowned but sighed deeply. She didn’t have the energy to fight more at the moment. She looked up at the big window and longed for the forest. She wanted to get outside and run, hunt and breath true fresh air. Without chains! She looked up at the prince who was moving towards a door nearby his bed. It led to his own bathroom. He was soon returning with a comb, slowly trying to get the knots out of his messy hair. Meulin only observed him quietly while he combed slowly drags through his black hair.

“Will I ever visit the forest again?”

“ _Maybe, if you behave well._ ”

“I believe you’ll answer my question about seeing my sister again with the same sentence?”

“ _I believe so, yes._ ”

She slowly looked down on the floor, feeling her hand over the fur rug. She wondered what he meant by behaving well. Probably it meant no hissing, scratching or biting. Maybe just accepting the facts that she was staying here for the rest of her life, kept away from the outside, her sister and a life in happiness. Wonderful… Kurloz sat down on the chair by the table, slowly combing his hair until he felt satisfied. Not much different to it in Meulins opinion but it wasn’t like her opinion mattered anyway. Kurloz looked at the comb and then at Meulin again.

“ _Would you like if I combed your hair?_ ”

“Excuse me?”

“ _Your hair, miss. Would you mind if I combed it?_ ”

Meulin glared at him for a while before she thought about it. If she behaved well she would might soon see Nepeta again. And Kurloz was pretty nice for a Highblood to be honest. After a while she finally decided to go with it and allow the royal troll to comb her hair. It wasn’t like she had anything else to do anyway. She slowly rose up from the fur and walked up to Kurloz and stopped right in front of him. She turned and let her back face him so he could reach her hair. He slowly ran his fingers through her long black hair to find the knots. It was very fluffy. Like a lions mane. Kurloz smiled and let the comb slide through her hair. It stopped when the combs teeth hit the knots and he had to carefully brush through them. Meulin didn’t matter that much about the light pain that went through her scalp as her hair was tugged. It actually felt pretty nice after a while. Besides, Kurloz was rather careful. She was actually pretty lucky… Being company pet to a royal who actually took care of her instead of tormenting her. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the feeling of the comb running and stroking it way through her hair.


	13. There's always a secret within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally The Amporas are introduces! :3 
> 
> Also I made this chapter a little longer than the others~

“Good morning, your majesty. It’s time to wake up now. And please don’t pretend to snore to fool me. It’s not working.”

A load groan was heard from the prince who twisted and turned in his bed, not fully awake. Those words came from a troll named Kankri who was standing next to the bed, straightened back and his arms crossed. He was wearing black pants, a white shirt and a red vest over it. It was indeed a quite popular choice of clothing. His hair was quite short, a little messy but yet nicely styled and his horns were quite small. He wasn’t very tall but that didn’t make him weak. He had a big vocabulary which made him sharp with words and his voice wasn’t hard to avoid hearing. A necklace was also tied around his neck, a little oval stone in a violet colour that was held by a black silk ribbon was shown. Kankri was a company pet. He was in fact company pet to Cronus Ampora, the older prince of the Ampora kingdom.

“Prince Cronus. Get out of bed now and get dressed. It’s not healthy to sleep more than 8 hours. You might get ill if you break your routines.

“Then let me be sick. I don’t care… Just allow me to sleep a bit longer.”

“No!”

Cronus, who had just woken up from his sleep thanks to his company pet rolled over to face him. Cronus was pretty tall, had black hair that often was combed back showing a little scar on his forehead. He had small fins around the ears as he was a seedweller as the Peixes. His horns along as his father’s and brother have been quite formed like waves. He often wore a white shirt, black pants and a purple jacket in the finest silk. He pouted with his lower lip and made a sad expression, hoping that Kankri would feel sorry for him. Well, it almost never worked but you couldn’t blame him for trying. Kankri only glared at the prince, frowning. Cronus knew that if he didn’t get out of the bed now he would get a real lecture from Kankri that would last until lunch. Cronus sighed and lifted the big warm cover from his body but quickly wrapped himself safely under it again after feeling the cold breeze hitting him. Kankri got a bit annoyed and descided to help Cronus a little. He quickly grabbed the cover and pulled it off in a rough move making Cronus groan, wrapping his arms around him.

“Damn it, Kankri! I’ll freeze to death!”

“Stop whining, Cronus. It’s summer outside and it’s NOT that cold. You’re only overreacting because you’re lazy. Now please get up from bed and get dressed. We have a lot to do today. Breakfast will be served in 40 minutes exactly and your father expects you to be down in the dining room on time. After breakfast you’ll be studying until lunch. After lunch you’ll take your brother for a ride with the royal hoofbeasts, then you’ll be having a meeting with your father about the upcoming visit from the Pexies. After that we-“

“Please Kankri! Give me some air. I just woke up and you’re already choking me with all my boring duties and plans for the day?”

“Excuse me!? You shouldn’t interrupt when someone’s talking, your majesty! It’s rude and unsophisticated!”

“Forgive me then.. But anyways Kankri. I was thinking about a little change in my schedule for today. How about instead of taking my brother on the forest ride, how about you and me go instead? I know a quite nice place where we can take a swim together.”

Kankri flinched and stared at Cronus without a word, only with a face expression that turned candy red in embarrassment. Kankri and his little brother Karkat had a very special blood type running in their veins. The colour was candy red… A mutant’s blood colour. Mutants were rarely seen alive anywhere in the land. They often were executed as grubs because no one wanted them around. To live as a mutant was hard and they often starve on the street if they hadn’t already been killed from the very beginning. It was indeed a sad life but they couldn’t do anything about it. Kankri and Karkat were lucky to work at a castle. They got food, a roof over their heads and were protected from the outside and dangers. The chance of a royal taking in a mutant for help was one in a million. The Peixes and the Makaras would have slaughtered them both as soon as they entered the door. But it had been something Cronus had liked about Kankri. He wanted the mutants company. He also found Kankri pretty cute.

Well, the thoughts of having Kankri as a matesprite were out of question. Cronus was a royal with violet blood. He was the second highest blood ranked in the hemospectrum. Kankri was way out of his league when it came to that. If he would even think about going into a relationship with a dirty mutant he would have hell to pay for it. Yet to be honest Cronus had started to like Kankri more and more. Cronus actually wanted them both to become a couple more than anything but he knew that it was no use. Kankri wasn’t interested and he was too afraid of breaking any rules, laws or even get in touch with someone else in that way. Kankri was well aware of how much the prince flirted with him but he mostly took it as a stupid joke. The prince also flirted with a lot more than just Kankri so he didn’t know if he should take anything serious or not. Protecting himself and his brother Karkat from the same destiny as their father was the first thing in mind and the last thing Kankri ever wanted to happen to them. A brutal execution in front of a whole world that only stared at you in disgust and fear! No one in this world showed any respect or mercy to a mutant. Kankri often wished that he had been born with a different blood colour. Anything else would have been great! Rust, yellow, green!? Anything but his own!

Memories that he wanted to forget bit their way through his mind, forcing him to keep suffering. Just like his father had done for a long time before he died, finally resting now from the hate of the higher ranked trolls. Kankri woke up from his own thoughts after feeling a light kiss being placed on his left cheek. He flinched and glared at Cronus who was now fully dressed and ready to leave for breakfast. Kankri madly wiped off his cheek with a handkerchief he always had placed in his pocket.

“I would appreciate if you didn’t do that! And please tell me that you brushed your teeth!”

“Yes I did. And please relax a little, Kankri.”

“I AM relaxed!”

“No you’re not. You’re as tense and guarded like my father’s affections.”

“Don’t talk like that about your father. The king might have a bad temper, quite strict and commanding, but he’s doing everything for your own good.”

“I’ve heard that one before. And I don’t agree at all! My father hates me. He doesn’t see me like a prince or son. More like a burden that he wishes to get rid of! He wants me to be like him but I refuse! I am who I am and I want to stay that way.”

“…”

Kankri remained silent for a while. He had heard those words before. King Dualscar was strict and expected his sons to act sophisticated, mighty and proud. The king was already preparing his oldest son Cronus for the future and to become the next king of the Ampora kingdom. After Cronus, Eridan would rule. That was the way it worked in this land for royal rulers. In fact, trolls lived quite long lives. They could reach an amazing old age ad when a troll of royal status reached a certain age they stepped down from the throne to let a younger sibling take over after them.

Cronus took a deep breath before dropping the sad subject and to get ready for breakfast. He often requested for Kankri to join the Amporas at their meals and he was allowed to. Even though both Cronus and his company pet knew how the king felt about having a mutant around. Dualscar never picked on either Karkat or Kankri. In fact, he barley talked to them at all. Cronus knew that it was probably because his father didn’t want to get that close to such simple lowbloods. But he had allowed that both his sons could have the mutants for staff. While Cronus picked Kankri for a company pet, Eridan picked Karkat as a caretaker. Since the two Vantas brothers didn’t have much of a choice they could only accept their new lives without much complain to it. The Amporas castle was huge, rich and built not that far away from the sea. The Peixes castle was in fact also pretty close to the sea but you still had to walk a while to get there.

The Amporas owned beautiful ships which they of course used for sailing. One of the ships was very big and beautiful, built for the wedding that would soon be for Cronus and Meenah. Both Dualscar and Condense had most of the wedding and engagement planned already. Cronus apart from Meenah already knew that he was getting engaged to her at an early age. His father told him that he would marry the oldest daughter from the Peixes kingdom. To be honest.. he wasn’t looking forward to it either. He had seen her once and her portraits so he knew how she looked like. But he had never really talked to her. They knew the Makaras better than the Peixes since the two kings often had business together. The feeling of marrying someone you never really met was quite unfair and uncomfortable. Besides, Cronus wanted Kankri to be his partner through life. Princess Meenah was indeed beautiful, but he didn’t knew her well other from the description of her from his father and he already loved someone else. Also, Cronus was a bit of a rebel and he often did what he wanted instead of listening to old traditions.

Cronus and Kankri left the prince’s bedroom and walked down the long corridor. The walls were decorated with golden frame paintings, a white shade for the walls, and the floor was fine, smooth stone. A long rug in royal blue was placed on the floor, showing the way to the stairs and down into the main entrance hall. As in most of the castles a huge crystal chandelier was hanging from the ceiling in the main hall. Well a lot of rooms had crystal chandeliers but this one was the biggest and it was decorated with pearls. It was indeed a gift from the Condense. If Cronus thought about it the Makara kingdom received one as well as a gift. The Makaras knew the Peixes well better as well since King Highblood and Queen Condense often had business together too. Exactly what it was didn’t bother Cronus at all. He also didn’t know the princes very well either. He had met Prince Kurloz before but it didn’t go so well. Kurloz never spoke! Also Eridan disliked Gamzee a bit, mostly because they were quite different and didn’t have much in common.

After a while they reached the dining room. It was big and wide, huge windows that lit it up, a fireplace in the corner, a big and long table and nice chairs with a light blue fabric. Paintings, vases and statues were also placed in the room. King Dualscar and Eridan were already waiting by the table for them. Cronus sighed deeply before they walked up to the table. Dualscar looked quite unpleasant as always.

“You’re late Cronus!”

“Forgive me Father. But I needed to wash my hair.”

“That’s not a well excuse, Cronus! Just sit down and eat.”

“As you wish…”

Cronus walked up to the table and pulled out a chair for Kankri. He immediately got a nagging comment from his father without warning but at the same time he had heard it so many times that he barely even cared at all.

“Cronus! Your company pet can do that himself. It’s not for a prince to do.”

“But you always tell me to be polite and treat others with respect am I right, father?”

“Other royalty and higher ranked trolls yes. But not… mutants.”

Kankri swallowed loudly and looked aside at the comment. He often heard that, almost every day to be exact. Cronus frowned at Dualscar and kept the chair out for Kankri to sit down. As soon as his company pet was comfortable he could sit down by the table himself. Kankri politely put a napkin in his lap to prevent his clothes to get dirty in case he would spill any food. He never did but you had to be polite around royalty all the time. Dualscar didn’t say a word, he only stared at the food and ate in silent. He looked at Eridan who was sitting by his right side of the table. Eridan was 6 sweeps old, had bad vision and wore glasses. His hair was short and back combed like his brothers and he wore almost the same outfit as Cronus, only that he used to wear a cape like his father. Eridan was raised well to be aware of his royal status, knowing that he was high up in the blood rank. He was a bit spoiled but had a good heart. He was just raised like most royalty. He often tried to live up to Dualscar’s hope of him becoming a good ruler one day in his life and did everything in his way to be noticed by his father. Dualscar in fact had no doubt in that Eridan was ready to become a ruler since he took his destiny pretty serious. Cronus on the other hand worried Dualscar by the fact that his oldest son was not even bothering to matter the crown. Cronus often talked about travelling the world and forgetting to even become king. He rather would live his life the way HE wanted and NOT the way he was expected to.

“Eridan… The elbows.”

“What, father?”

“You’re resting your elbows on the table. We don’t do that when we’re eating.”

“S-sorry…”

Eridan quickly lifted his elbows from the table and sighed. He didn’t want to act like a simple midclass. Cronus frowned and put his own elbows on the table with a bang, making the table shake a little. Kankri flinched and told him to stop it but Cronus only focused his eyes on his father. Dualscar frowned himself and started tapping his fingers into the table. His fingers were decorated with several golden rings. All of the Amporas had those rings as they were part of the Amporas crown jewelries.

“Cronus!”

“Yes, father?”

“Stop this. Take your elbows off the table!”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then I’ll lock up your company pet.”

Cronus flinched and almost stabbed the fork into the table. His father almost always threated that he would hurt Kankri if Cronus didn’t act the way he was expected to. Of course, Kankri had never been hurt by Dualscar or any guards for that matter since the young mutant knew of to act around people. His father Signless had been very polite, always trying to treat other trolls equality, not matter to their blood colour. He had wished to help Mutants and lower blooded trolls get the respect they deserved in the future. Kankri had always looked up to him and hoped that he would follow his father’s footsteps on that mission and dream. And Kankri hadn’t forgotten about it at all. He was still going to help his dead father on accomplish his dream of a better world of trolls that accepted each other as equals! No one would care about rates as lowbloods, midbloods or highbloods, only different blooded trolls that saw each other as equals. And then maybe finally lowerblooded trolls were allowed to love each other without hiding it or being afraid of losing your life for it.

Kankri tried to ignore the feeling of not really being welcome by the table as he tried to eat his breakfast in silence. Karkat and the other servants ate together in another room near the kitchen. Kankri was sometimes eating with them as well but often ate by the big dinner table with the Ampora since Cronus requested it. Eridan never really complained about it but Dualscar wasn’t that acceptable to the idea. Kankri had been eating by his table for a long time but he was still… a mutant,  a troll of low and rare rate that often seemed to… chill the royals to the bones. The Vantas brother’s father had almost been able to inspire the lower rated trolls to stand up for themselves more and fight for the respect they deserved. But sadly it never began. Cronus looked up at his father again as he took a sip from his glass of milk.

“If you hurt my company pet you can forget that I’ll ever become the new ruler of this rotten kingdom. I would rather live my life on the run instead of becoming… the new YOU!”

“Cronus! Please stop talking and finish your food!”

It was Kankri who raised his voice as he reached out for Cronus arm, grabbing it tight to prevent him from almost tipping over his glass and plate. It wasn’t the first time he had done it since he often helped to keep Cronus in shape and balance. He wasn’t Cronus moirail but he was still able to make the prince control himself. Cronus allowed his company pet to help him sit down again and take a deep breath. Dualscars eyes pierced themselves into Cronus. He was not happy at all by his son’s actions. The only one in the room who actually acted calm was Eridan who quietly and calmly finished his food, wiped his lips with his napkin and then thanked nicely for the food.

After the royal breakfast it was time for a quick meeting in the throne room. The guards had captured two new trolls for servants and they had been kept locked up for the night before being introduced to the Amporas. Dualscar was going to decide what the two girls would work with and as in the castle. Both Eridan and Cronus was standing straight up next to their father’s throne, waiting for the whole introduction to be over quickly. Cronus hated watching lower rated trolls being forced into slavery only because they weren’t worth as much as the royalty. Cronus had become less spoiled and more caring through the sweeps and many thanks would go to Kankri for often babbling on and on about what his father taught him. Cronus wouldn’t have mind meeting Signless. He must have been a quite unique troll as he for a mutant got so many people to listen to him. He also must have had a big heart.

Kankri was told to wait in Cronus room since he often made a scene when new workers arrived at the castle. It wasn’t rare that some slaves were executed because they didn’t fall in the royals taste. It was an unfair and mean decision that often took place inside these castles walls. Dualscar sat down on his throne, moving his cape aside so he wouldn’t sit on it and risk destroying the fabric. His eyes were pretty cold and sharp and it wasn’t often you saw him smile. Soon his voice was filling the room as he spoke in a clear and loud tone.

“Send them in!”

Four guards came walking into the huge hall, surrounding two female trolls with jade blood running through their veins. It was the two Maryam sisters who’s store and home was burned down to the ground two days ago. They looked scared but yet held their heads high and walked with their backs straightened without much to say. Both Eridan and Cronus followed the two girls with their eyes. They looked… rather different from most servants they’ve seen. These two girls had longer fangs than most trolls and their skin was slightly lighter, More to a whiter tone than grey to be honest. Both Kanaya and Porrim were stopped a few steps from Dualscars throne. Two of the guards then grabbed the two girls by their heads and shoulders, pushing them down to standing on their knees. Kanaya slightly hissed under her breath since the treatment was rather painful to her. Porrim tried her best not saying a word and kept herself calm. If anyone would hurt Kanaya she would show no mercy at all. The room was silent for a long while as Dualscar stared at the two girls, not quite interested at all in his new work power. The two new trolls seemed strong but rather clean and neat. Perhaps they could work as chamber maids to the princes.

Dualscar gave them another long stare before he raised his hand at his sons direction, telling them to come over by his side to inspect the new trolls. Neither Cronus or Eridan said a thing as they slowly walked up to their fathers right side, politely holding their hands behind their backs and straightened their posture. They had not much to say and only waited for their father to talk. Cronus observed the pain and anger in the jade blooded girls eyes, yet they acted so… strong and showed som sort of acceptation to their situation. All lower blooded trolls knew that perhaps one day in their lives they would be forced into the chains as a worker for higher power. It was unfair and cruel but that was life in this world. The king broke the silence by asking his boys a question.

“Cronus? Eridan? Would you two like these girls as your chamber maids or shall they serve us in the kitchen or garden?”

Both Cronus and Eridan went a little surprised as they often never got to join their fathers decisions for the workers. It was mostly rare that the younger rulers were even allowed to speak around their parents at all! Suddenly a straight but silent voice interrupted the royalty. It was Porrim.

“We know how to sew, cook and broider, your majesty.”

She didn’t look quite happy or proud at all as she mostly kept her eyes closed and made sure that Kanaya was close to her. Both Cronus and Eridan looked at each other for a short while before Cronus gave the jadebloods a quick observation. He straightened his back and nodded at his father.

“Father, I would like them to become chamber maids. We believe it could be a perfect opportunity to get our clothes fixed and maybe even improved.”

Eridan nodded and smiled as well. He didn’t like to admit it but he needed some of his best shirts fixed. Even for a careful and neat prince like himself he sometimes tore his clothes in the rose-garden or the forest while riding. Dualscar stood up from his throne, letting his cape fall back behind him and ordered the guards to let the girls clean up and get a room where they could sleep. Also he demanded that they should wash themselves and get changed. He wouldn’t allow them to walk around dirty from ash in his castle. The two Maryam sisters were dragged away from the throne while the princes followed them with their eyes.

After the meeting in the throne was both Eridan and Cronus back in their rooms while Dualscar returned to his work. Eridan was staring at his own reflection in a big mirror with a golden frame in his room. He was trying to see if his cape needed to be fixed and if he had torn it somewhere. You never knew for sure if you didn’t pay attention! While he was observing the cape here and there his closest friend Karkat entered the room with a book in his hands. Karkat was Kankris little brother and was as well as his brother a Mutant. He and Kankri looked pretty similar but Karkat was shorter, his hair was messier and he often looked way grumpier. He wore a white shirt, black pants and shoes. He was not wearing a vest with his shirt as he had chosen not to. He had one but almost never wore it. Karkat frowned a bit while observing Eridan while tossing the book on his table.

“If you’re done glaring at how incredibly stupid you look while spinning around like that, perhaps the prince can pay some attention to his royal studies!?”

“Keep it down Karkat! I’m busy.”

“Busy!? With what? Finding your selfish ass under all that fabric?”

“If my father knew about your bad attitude you should know better than anyone what your faith will be!”

“…Excuse me. I didn’t sleep very well tonight.”

Eridan left his hunt for wrongs in his cape and turned to face his friend. He could spot dark rings under Karkats eyes. Trolls normally were darker around the eyes but this shown lack of sleep. Karkat yawned and rubbed his eyes with his left hand while his right one helped him keep steady against the bedpost. Nights of twisting and turning had troubled him as fears and images from the past disturbed his night sleep. Karkat already knew that he would slave his life away as the Amporas servant. But the knowledge that he would probably get killed if he did anything wrong didn’t exactly make anything better either. Eridan sighed and grabbed his cape, observing himself once again before turning to Karkat again.

“Kar? Do you believe that wearing my cape is… too much? Since I’m still a prince and not a king?”

“Why do you ask? In my opinion all the royal clothes look stupid… You never seem to feel comfortable in them anyway.”

“Maybe not, but it’s tradition! I just wanted to know. Cronus never wears his cape and I get the feeling that Father wants to be the only one wearing his cape. A little selfish, right?”

“You already know my answer if I think anything or anyone is selfish.”

“It wasn’t I who killed your father!”

“Don’t you think I know that!? But it’s not like you help other lower blooded trolls to elude a gruesome and unfair fate!”

“We’re both raised differently, Karkat! I’m a highblood of royal status! I live MY life the way my father has taught me! And-“

“And I’M a MUTANT who should have been buried in the ground by now! Mostly since I don’t even have the right to LIVE like YOU! It’s just a wonder that your father ACCEPTED us into your castle as working power. What else would we have been good for! Highbloods never gives us a fair chance to let us show what we can do…”

“Those were some strong words Karkat. I never believe that you have used those before.”

“Maybe so… I’m tired and sick of this unfair way of living…”

“I know. But I can’t do anything about it.”

“I know that. It’s always the same for you royal trolls. You born, you grow up with a low, mid or highblood to teach you about life and then you just complete the circle of a new royal to be born and keep it all going. Without any change at all…”

Eridan sighed deeply as he removed his cape, folding it nicely and placing it on the chair near his writing desk. Deep inside, he knew that Karkat was right. For a mutant, he had a very strong vocabulary and it wasn’t hard listening to him. His words often caught the young prince’s interest and made him see differently on the world he lived in. As a little grub, Eridan had been spoiled and covered in luxury. Only the best food, clothes and furniture was good enough for him and his brother. Also being taught form an early age that he was way more important that most trolls formed his personality into being rather proud and credulous. Eridan wasn’t a bad person. He was just as higher ranted trolls to be raised into becoming rulers and taking more place. Karkat was Eridan’s caretaker and his best friend. Karkat didn’t actually mind being close to the prince since it helped him a lot from having the guards or other workers to pick on him. But if Eridan would be hurt, Karkat would pay for it… Luckly Eridan was a very careful and neat troll who almost never got into trouble or hurt himself. Eridan may be spoiled but he was careful and loyal to his friends.

Karkat looked around the room for a while. Eridans room was big and light, the walls showing a purple tone, the floor in a dark grey smooth stone and beautiful decorations here and there. Painting with golden frames, a huge closet, a nice table with chair, a huge bed in the middle of the room and pretty curtains in royal blue. A room made for a prince. Karkat felt the familiar sting of jealousy. Not much for all the furniture and decorations in the room but more for the iniquity. The young mutant knew that himself he would never have this luxury or even right to live like this. It was unfair but sadly the way it was meant to be thanks to the unfair rule that was made. He often cursed his own blood and the day he was born. If he had been killed as a rub he wouldn’t had to feel this horrible iniquity at all! Instead of digging deeper into self-pity Karkat grabbed the book he had put on the table holding it up to Eridan.

“Next book for you to read, your majesty…”

“You’re allowed to call med by name Karkat… I thought I made that clear looooong ago.”

“I know… I just want to make sure that no guards is standing outside the door and waiting for me to screw up so that I’ll be killed.”

“I wouldn’t let them. Now. What sort of book will I be reading from today?”

“A book about boring history as usual I guess. It is your study hour after all.”

“I know that.”

“Um... Did some new trolls arrive at the castle today?”

“Well, to be exact they arrived here yesterday but were locked away until today when father got the time to inspect them to see what sort of working stations they would get. Two females, we believed their jade blooded, Midbloods that is. And they stated themselves to be good at sewing so we decided that they would be our royal sewers.”

“Against their will I suppose then…”

Eridan frowned at Karkat, grabbing the book out of his hands. He didn’t bother if Karkat was angry, lower blooded trolls were meant to be workers! He couldn’t do anything about it and he was going to keep on acting like the prince he was meant to be. Eridan walked up to his desk and sat down, placing the book down and slowly read the first pages. He let his index finger follow the lines and letters with a soft and gentle move. It was just as Karkat said, the book was about the history behind the land and what different kinds of kings that had ruled before Eridan and his family, His relatives and ancestors. He reached out for his quill pen and paper to write down some notes in calligraphy. Everyone had to learn how to write in calligraphy and it was important to use either a quill or steel pen. While the prince quietly read the book and wrote down notes in silence Karkat sat all still on a bed stool by the end of Eridans bed. As a caretaker it was his job to look after the prince and make sure he was being taught the royal duties and such. But Eridan was good on keeping time, learning himself and finishing work without much help. Sometimes it felt like he didn’t need Karkat at all.

“Is there something I should do for you or am I allowed to take a walk in the castles garden?”

Eridan stopped for a moment and looked up from his book. He didn’t face Karkat and stared into the wall infront of him, thinking for a moment.

“I believe you can. Just make sure to be back in two hours. I’ll need your help later.”

“As always… Thanks. I promise to be on time. Keep on reading!”

With that Karkat left the room and politely closed the door behind him. He walked down the corridors and listened to the clapping noise from his shoes that echoed between the walls. Sometimes it was uncomfortable to live in such a big place. Sometimes Karkat felt poor for the royal trolls as he thought about them having their rooms so far away from their parents. He wondered how it must feel waking up in the middle of the night after a nightmare as a small troll, looking around for your parents in this huge and cold place. Must have felt lonely and scary… Guards and workers kept their positions here and there, almost never speaking to another so it wasn’t any risk that Karkat would have anyone in his way during his path outside. As he got outside the castle walls he hurried up to take a deep breath of the fresh air. So wonderful! The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the wind felt nice and cool. The big path that leads down to the huge castle gates was shown ahead of him and the huge garden lead around the castle to the backside. The castle had a huge stable on the right side and even a lake in the garden. Karkat listen to some of the workers working with the horses, the kitchen staff bring in groceries and even the gardeners that groomed the rose bushes and made sure everything in the garden was perfect.

Karkat could feel the gravel path under his feet as he slowly walked over it to reach some of the rose bushes that were planted on the grass filed in the middle between the gates and castle. They were a nice white colour. He smiled as he gently stroked his hand against the puffy flower, also avoiding its thorns. Even though his life wasn’t perfect there were still a few small things to appreciate in life. As he was staring at the flower it reminded him that soon the Amporas would pay the much higher rated Peixes kingdom a visit. The reason was of course an engagement between the Peixes princesses and the Amporas princes. It sure must feel unfair to marry someone you almost didn’t know. But… It wasn’t like Karkat would get a partner in his life. As a mutant it was forbidden for his kind to reproduce and form a bond to another troll. Well, as a caretaker it was an exception! Otherwise he should be slayed long ago or die alone. Many lower blooded trolls couldn’t stay together since it was a true danger for lower blooded trolls to have relationships. Some reproduced or mated and then… had to split up before the higher blooded trolls executed them. Many trolls in town and outside had to keep their relationships a secret to the higher powered guards. Higherblooded trolls from blue to fuchsia were allowed to pick any partner they wanted since well… They had the power and right to but from red up to turquoise there was not even a slight idea of it. Life sure was complicated and unfair.

While standing and thinking about the unfair life he lived a slight thought about the new trolls arrived in his mind. He wondered who they were and what their story was. Jade blooded? They must be rather matured for their ages then. Almost all jade blooded trolls were female and often very matured and polite. Eventually he would meet them sooner or later since they would remain here for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile the two Maryam sisters had been cleaned and lead to a room in the lower floor, just like the other workers where they would stay. It was rather easy but nice. Kanaya sighed as she observed the dress laying on one of the beds, this one for her. It was half white and half jade coloured. The shirt to it was white, the sleeves were long and puffy and the neck line was nicely cut so the clavicle would show. The skirt was pretty wide and jade colored in a nice fabric. They got pretty fancy clothes for being staff at the castle. Maybe it was because of their job as seamstresses? Porrim had one too and they looked just the same. Both of them slowly changed into the dresses observing one another. They didn’t look bad in them to be honest but the knowledge what this meant was horrible. Kanaya tried to win some time to prevent the mood from being greyer.

“Shall I brush your hair, Porrim?”

Porrim didn’t answer. She only stared out through the window, putting her hand over her mouth. It looked like as if she were about to cry at any second soon. Kanaya knew what the matter was. Not only were they both sad and heartbroken that their home and freedom was lost, but as jade bloods they had a very special need that had to be satisfied. Even though both of the Maryam sisters looked neat, clean and raised well they had a strange craving for blood drinking. To feed on blood was actually a sort of self-protection for them but also a good way of gathering the nutrition they craved. They couldn’t quite understand why but it was a part of their powers. Porrim who was older had a much higher and stronger craving for the blood and drank it more often than Kanaya. Since Kanaya hadn’t got in touch with her powers that much yet she didn’t crave the blood in the same way. She drank it sometimes when Porrim allowed her to feed on it but otherwise almost never. Kanaya felt the worrying her sister had. They often drank the blood from animals they had bought in town, well hidden away in their store and always made sure no one knew about their secret desires. But what would they do now? They wouldn’t be able to hide it for that long in a castle like this. Porrim sighed and swallowed softly, slowly sitting down on her bed.

“Feel free to brush it, Kanaya. I’m just worried.”

“I know you are. But we’ll figure something out. With some luck, we can managed to get on good terms with the kitchen staff. Maybe we could… get something from there.”

“I hope so… But we’ll try our best to make this situation the best. With some luck everything will go on smoothly without any trouble.”

Kanaya nodded and ran her fingertips through Porrims hair. It reached over her shoulder blades and was pretty and shiny. When her fingers had found the knots she reached for a comb that was placed on the bed table between their beds. She let the comb gently run through her sisters hair, straighten out knots and leaving the hair soft and even prettier. They had a small little book case in their room, a painting of water lily resting in a pound on the wall near the door and white curtains over the only window. The room wasn’t that big but neither too small. It was enough for them. While waiting for the new life to sink in Kanaya continued combing Porrims hair in silence.

Karkat was still walking around a bit in the garden mumbling a bit to himself. He was not getting bored but had too much to think about! Why couldn’t he just give it a rest already? Soon he was released from his own mind as he heard a voice calling his name. He quickly looked up to see Tavros sitting on a stone bench nearby the lake. Karkat then realized he had reached the castles backside, were the lake was. It was a very peaceful and beautiful place. By the lake was a huge tree with long branches and leaves growing and several water lilies were resting on the soft water, waiting to be admired by passing visitors. In front of the lake was a few bushes, statues and a bench were you could rest and observe the backyards beauty. Karkat waved back at Tavros and walked up to him, not joining him by sitting down but stopped next to the bench.

Tavros was one of the younger staff as Karkat and helped with whatever he was capable off. Tavros had a bronze coloured blood tone and was rather sweet. He could be a little rude when he wanted to but mostly acted nicely towards others. He wore the clothes mostly lowerblooded troll staff had, black pants, a white shirt and a vest in his bloodcolour to go with it. Tavros had a rather special haircut. His sides were shaved while pretty much hair was left in the middle, reminded a bit of a horse mane in others opinion. His ears were a little longer than others and his horns sat right over his ears sticking out pretty long. Similar to a bull. Tavros had an older brother working at the castle as well who was named Rufioh. He and Tavros was pretty alike in their style and appearance but had more hair, bigger horns and for a very special reason, Wings! The wings were as soft and thin like a butterfly’s, in the same colour as their blood. He could fly but was not allowed to unless he had someone to watch him. The risk of him escaping was too big!

Tavros as well had wings once but got them ripped off as he tried to escape from the castle. This left him with a special nerve- and spine damage that abated his ability to walk good. He could walk but often stumbled and lost his balance since the damaged that had been done to him. Even so, Tavros stayed as positive as he could even though Karkat knew that deeply inside he was as unhappy as you could be. Tavros smiled at him and sat up better.

“Out stretching your legs I guess?”

“Yeah… I needed to think.”

“That can be dangerous. If I were you I should keep myself as simpleminded as possible. It’s dangerous for us to get ideas.”

“Don’t you think I know that!? That’s the problem, Tavros! We’re not allowed to do anything at all in this damn hell of a world! I just wish we could have the right as any other troll!”

“If you don’t keep down that raspy and high-pitched scream you call a voice we’ll both end up sleeping in the dungeon tonight! Or get our teeth ripped out one by one. The guards are everywhere you know.”

“That’s another thing! We’re left with the fear of even speak a word! Don’t you want to break free from this damn system and live like a free soul!?”

“I tried once and it cost me a part of my body and my ability to walk normally. I’m NOT risking losing more than I already have, Karkat. If you want to escape do so, but don’t complain when you get dragged back and get your legs hatched off. I’ll stay and try to see the beauty in life. At least what’s left of it.”

“I didn’t say that I’ll run away, stupid! I just mean that I wish for someone to stand up for us smaller trolls some day in the future…”

“That troll is as good as dead then.”

“Why am I speaking to you again?”

“Because I wanted a conversation, Karkat. But if you don’t want to talk we can just sit here and enjoy the weather? It’s a nice day outside today right?”

“It sure is…”

The two boys didn’t have much time left to chat before Tavros older brother Rufioh arrived at the back yard. He wore the same outfit as Tavros, the only different was that his shirt was black instead of white. His wings could be spotted from far away since they were pretty big. Rufioh almost never flied, only in secret and when he was sure that no one saw him. Tavros and Karkat knew that sometimes Rufioh actually left the castles area at night to get a good stretch and tour around the land during the night sky. It meant a lot to him to use his gift of flying. To not leave his brother outside he sometimes even brought Tavros along with him in his arms to let him feel the excitement of flying again. Rufioh always blamed himself for what had been done to Tavros since it was his idea for his brother to run away and leave this nightmare of a life. Sadly, the guard caught them and punished Tavros by ripping off his wings and forced Rufioh to watch the whole scene. A horrible pain was place in Rufiohs heart that day and it would never go away. The guilt he was carrying would last on forever. Rufioh smiled and waved at Tavros, calling for him.

“Hey, Tavros! There you are! I’ll need some help in the stable and after that we have to help the kitchen staff carrying some supplies.”

“Coming! Well, that was that break…Time for work again. See you later Karkat!”

As Tavros slowly rose up from the bench and clumsy straddled over to his brother Karkat stayed on the spot for a moment. He was now alone by the lake, as he wanted. He sat down on the bench and took a deep breath, observing the water flowers and the calm water. It was a while before he had to return to Eridan and help him out. Maybe just another few silent moments of thinking for him before returning to the reality again.


	14. The secret that must be kept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A secret that will change the world in the furture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, it's been forever since I've updated anything on the web... But I've been out of inspiration... But finally! I'm keeping on writing this story! So finally something interesting happens! I'll promise to make the chapters longer in the future :33

The pattering sound of the hoofs against the ground was almost enchanting and the wind blew softly through Kankris hair during the ride through the forest. The afternoon turned out the way Cronus wanted allowing the schedule to change so that he and Kankri could take an afternoon ride instead of Eridan. Kankri still were a bit nervous about riding a hoofbeast since he weren’t very good at it, yet he tried his best to hide it from the prince. The truth was that he actually felt nervous around the huge animals. And not just a little! But he refused to make a fool out of himself! Cronus had made sure that they got two of the best hoofbeasts in the stable for the afternoon. He wanted this to be special, in fact he wanted every moment with Kankri to be special. 

Kankri took a better grip around the reins and made sure to look around him carefully. The sun made its way through the foliation from the trees and made a pretty light pattern on the path they were short pacing on. Cronus noticed that his caretaker was forming a nice red shade on his cheeks. It must mean that Kankri was enjoying his afternoon outside in the fresh air, and as far away from the castle as possible. They would hear the birds singing a lovely tune and the soft feeling from the sun and wind made them both wish time could stop. Cronus slowly pulled the reins, telling his hoofbeast to stop gently on the path. He turned his head to Kankri and greeted him with a nice smile. 

“How are you feeling? Still believe it was a bad idea changing the schedule today?” 

Kankri frowned a little but shrugged at his prince. He didn’t want to admit the fact that Cronus was right but he weren’t meant to speak back at him. Instead he responded with a soft nod, silently admiring the nature’s beauty and scent. He bit his lip trying to sit steady as he lifted his right hand to pat the hoofbeast behind its ears. Kankri was normally stiff as a stick while standing. His back was always so straighten that it was almost impossible so move him or even make him relax. But on the back of a hoofbeast… well that was a way of entertaining. So nervous and worried to fall off that he almost couldn’t move nor speak. But however, he was still loyal and did as his prince requested. And if   
Cronus wanted to spend his afternoon riding on the back of a hoofbeast along with his company pet then it was done. Without any complains. 

They had been riding for a pretty long while now, at least that was the way Kankri felt it. With a short breath and serious expression he made sure to ride up beside Cronus so that he could face him. Their hoofbeasts slowly walked side by side, enjoying stretching their legs. It must be hard standing in a stable all day long. Kankri could just imagen their legs aching and falling asleep. He face Cronus who only gave him a smile. His face was gorgeous. Kankri couldn’t deny that fact. He had to look away for a while, quickly trying to hide his now candy red flushed cheeks. Damn he hated when they turned that colour… Can you even imagen hating a colour so much just because what it stand for? Lowcast… and that’s what he would ever remain. A dirty lowblooded mutant. And to the fact that Cronus always mocked him with his flirting didn’t make anything better. Only worse… Kankris act had of course woken some questioning and worry inside Cronus. Did he do something wrong? 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” 

Kankri quickly gave his cheeks a light slap each and closed his eyes for a second. He could do this! He had been Cronus caretaker for sweeps darn it! With another breath to relax he turned to Cronus, facing him with even redder cheeks, of course it was a result of the slaps. He faked a smile and nodded again. He hoped that Cronus would fall for it. But the prince halted his horse, glaring at Kankri with both worry and disappointment in his eyes. Kankri shortened the reins and pulled them gently to make the horse halt. He understood perfectly. Cronus hated it when people lied and so of course did Kankri himself. It was also hard that he couldn’t always be truly honest to the prince. He shook his head. Kankri could soon hear the familiar sigh leave Cronus lips. 

“Kankri, can’t you be more honest towards me? You’re always nagging that I should be. But why be if others are not?” 

“I just… I’m so- I apologies, your majesty. But the truth is I’m- 

“Cronus.” 

“…your majesty. I feel rather nervous at the moment. Haven’t we finished this outdoor activity already? You should be back at the castle by now.” 

“I feel far away from done, Kankri! I want to spend more time outdoors. With you.” 

The last words from the prince were delivered with a soft and gently tone along with a smile. That smile caused the young Company pet to blush even more. Damn him! Kankri almost couldn’t stand this annoying flirting anymore! Why was the prince so obsessed with teasing him like this!? While Kankris expression change from angry to nervous for a moment the prince patted his horse on the neck before gently pushing his feet into its sides. The signal made the horse start walking making Kankris horse fallow behind. Kankri was so busy chewing on his lips and being lost in his thoughts to even notice that the horse had started walking. The sudden movement from the big animal did make Kankri flinch a little, gripping the reins harder. He desperately stared at the Prince infront of him, wanting to return home to the castle already. 

“Your majesty! Please! I do believe it’s time to return home!” 

Cronus didn’t answer right away. He then turned his head with a soft movement, smiling kindly at him while yet letting the horses keep on walking. His eyes didn’t show any mean way of act. Only pure excitement and happiness. 

“We shall return home, Kankri. But not yet! There’s a place I want to show you first. Just wait a little longer and you’ll see it’ll be worth it!”   
With those words Kankri couldn’t do much other than wait and accept the situation. This was a request from the prince and it was and order he had to follow. No matter what he thought himself. 

For another 20 minutes of birds singing, leaves blowing in the gently wind and beautiful lightshades at the path under them they were soon in front of a huge wall of leaves. They seemed to grow on thin branches from a tree up above them. The leaves almost looked like a curtain. A pretty, green curtain of the forest. Kankri did admit it was a nice view for leaves but why? Was this the place he had to see? A little disappointing to be honest. But it wasn’t like he had an opinion anyway. 

“Beautiful leaves, your majesty. I really mean it but-“ 

A soft laugh left Cronus lips as he heard that. The leaves themselves weren’t the surprise! 

“Kankri… It’s what’s behind the leaves I mean. Follow me.” 

Cronus made his horse walk through the little curtain like wall of leaves, disappearing behind it. Kankri felt a slight wave of fluster to this act. He sure hoped that Cronus wouldn’t scare or attack him as he walked through the entrance. But he did. He let himself and the horse entering the curtain of leaves, soon observing a bright and beautiful glade. He could spot a nice meadow in front of him. Tiny white and yellow flowers rested on the grass and the whole glade was surrounded by several trees forming a wall around it. He could also spot an almost clear blue lake at the left side resting by a huge tree. He couldn’t believe it. It was like a painting. Cronus smiled and enjoyed the reaction from his company pet. 

“Do you like it? I’ve been waiting to take you here for a long time now.” 

“It’s… simply beautiful! I’ve never seen such beautiful part of the forest before!” 

Cronus smirked gladly at the comment. “I was hoping you would like it. And look, also a lake to swim in.”   
Another red shade was forming on Kankri cheeks and nose. There it came again. The flirting. He didn’t feel angry about it… only irritated and sad as he thought about. He silently took a grip on the saddle before gently sliding down from the back of the hoofbeast. It felt wonderful to feel the ground under his feet after the long ride. It almost felt like his legs were asleep. Cronus had already gotten off his own hoofbeast and was now letting it rest. He smiled as he turned to Kankri, reaching out his hand to him. “Follow me. I want us to enjoy the rest of the afternoon together before returning to that horrible hell my father calls a kingdom.” 

With a weak smile forming on Kankris lips he grabbed Cronus hand, allowing him to be lead out on the pretty field of grass and flowers. He took some time to let the scent of the pollen, grass and fresh air surround him with peace and relaxation. Kankri closed his eyes for a moment just so he could remain in this paradise for a moment. To forget who he was and what his purpose in life was. Alone with the prince and away from all the problems at the moment. He quickly snapped out of the daydream as he could feel a hand gently placing itself over his cheek, stroking it with a soft gest. His eyes met Cronus. His heartbeat rose so quickly and loud that even the prince could hear them. Kankri swallowed loudly before taking a step back. 

“I’m sorry… But is there anything more you would like to show me before we return?” 

A slight disappointment could be seen in Cronus eyes. He sighed deeply and turned a little, reached out his arm towards the lake nearby the big tree. He didn’t have to say what was on his mind at all because Kankri knew exactly what he wanted. A swim. Kankri almost immediately shook his head, taking another step to avoid the suggestion. Yet Cronus took a light grip of his wrist, trying to keep him around to at least try to break out of his boring shell. Kankri shook his head as Cronus started to drag him towards the lake with a grin on his face. Not a mean one, just one excited and happy. Kankri tried to protest in both anger and worry. 

“Don’t you dare, Cronus! I’m warning you!! Don’t you dare soak my clothes!” 

“Finally saying my name instead of that ridiculous ‘majesty’ nagging! Oh please, Kankri. It’ll be fun!” The prince happily approached the edge of the lake closer and closer with the screaming company pet after him. Kankri seemed more and more nervous the further they got. Now it wasn’t that Kankri didn’t know how to swim or anything. He knew how to. He just didn’t like the idea of all this. Also, if Cronus got sick it would be hell to pay. Cronus had always calmed his company pet down on that subject since Kankri was a company pet and not a caretaker. He didn’t have to worry about it. 

Cronus had now stepped into the water himself, his shoes was now all soaked and the water was reaching him up to his ankles. Kankri gave Cronus as stare out of plain fury as the prince grabbed both his wrists, getting ready for action. Before Kankri could do anything other than screaming Cronus threw himself backwards into the water with a grip around Kankri, pulling him with him into the lake. As they hit the water a big splash appeared and clothes was getting soaked. Kankri struggled up and gasped for air in an overdramatically gest. He rubbed his eyes angrily, moving hair that had covered his face aside and hissed as soon as Cronus approached him. The prince was only laughing happily and enjoyed his little act. Kankri on the other hand was anything but happy. 

“How dare you!? Y-You scumbag! You dirty dirty rascal! I s-should-“ 

Kankri flinched. He just realized that he had scolded at the prince. His prince to take care of and always agree with. To stand loyal by his side in any weather. Darn it! He was dead! A moment of silence was filling the place. A bird could be heard from distance, the soft sound from the water rocking and their own breath filling the air with sounds. Kankri soon couldn’t hold back. Tears began to form in his eyes, colliding with the lakes water that was already soaking him enough. His hand threw themselves over his face, hiding his sobs and shivers. He pleaded under his breath, hiccups mixing along with his words. 

“I-I’m s-sorry… I’m so sorry… P-please forgive me Cronus. I-I c-ca-“ 

Cronus gently reached out for his company pet, grabbing his wrists again. He gently gave Kankris hands each a kiss before he met the other trolls eyes. He smiled warmly and kindly. Not a single trail of anger in his eyes. Kankri hiccupped, trying to explain further in his act but were cut off by feeling Cronus lips being gently pressed against his own. His heart skipped a beat. He could almost feel the warm tingle along his chest and back thanks to the sensation of the kiss. His red and puffy cheeks took so much colour that that it now was hard to tell if Kankris skin was still grey. Cronus allowed the kiss to last for a while before he leaned away a bit from Kankri. Kankri was speechless. He had just kissed Cronus! A mutant blood had just now kissed a highblood prince! Cronus stroked Kankris cheek again, smiling widely and happy. His hair, face and clothes well all of his body was soaked from the lake water. His frame was nicely embraced by the sunlight peeking through leafs from the treetops around the glade. Kankri couldn’t stop blushing or control his heartbeat by the moment. He was in love. He had always liked Cronus but this was a true wakeup call. The prince gave him another kiss but this one was gently placed on his forehead. 

“Kankri? Are you alright?” 

“Y-yes… I-I think I am.” 

“Good, because I am more than alright. I’m overjoyed.” 

The two embraced each other, still standing in the water. Kankri took a few deep breaths, blushing as he felt the warmth from their both soaked bodies. He wished for this moment to last forever. He needed it to. This was the only way for them both to stay together… 

After a while of resting and letting their clothes hang to dry by the big tree the two trolls had cuddles, talked and enjoyed the day out. The hoofbeast had finished cropping around the meadow and it was getting time to head back to the castle. As much as Kankri didn’t want to he had to follow his duty of escorting the prince back to his home. Kankri mumbled to himself, lost in his thought of the kiss. It had been so wonderful! He couldn’t even seem to get up on his hoofbeast right. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist, helping him to get back up on the saddle. Kankri frowned a little by the service he received from Cronus. 

“Please, Cronus. I’M the company pet. I’M the one helping you.” 

“Oh please. If it was that way we would have been staying here forever. Now let’s head back before my father gets furious. Oh, I mean worried.” 

Cronus smiled at his own joke before he made is hoofbeast walk towards the glades entrance. Kankri sighed deeply, nodding to himself as his horse followed the prince. Soon they would be back at the castle, pretending that nothing had happened at all. At least Kankri would have to. If anyone knew about this… He would be dead…   
As they followed the path through the forest back home they stayed quiet. At least Kankri did. He only nodded or answered short answers at the questions from the prince. They hadn’t noticed anything. But someone had seen them. Seen their little romance together. The troll who had seemed them had spotted them from air. A troll with wings and long horns. A troll who had been away on business for the Amporas and was on his way back. It was Rufioh.


	15. Who's hiding what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... I'm super duper mega slow at updating things... Well in my defense it's work in the way and lack of inspiration that's causing me to be slow... But at least I'm updating! Hope you enjoy the chapter. :33

A soft thump noise was heard as a pair of feet landed on the ground in the garden at the Amporas castle. It was Rufioh who landed after an errand he had run for the royal family. It hadn’t been anything more important than leaving a letter to the Peixes castle. It was mostly news and plans about the future upcoming wedding between Meenah and Cronus. Normally the castles sent their mail and news by their staff and since Rufioh had wings he could deliver the news faster and easier than most trolls around the castle. Yet normally he wasn’t allowed to fly but did it in secret. Rufioh was 9 sweeps old and brother to Tavros. His kind was well known to be born with wings and being able to understand animals better than most trolls. He was a pretty stubborn person but could act goofy to help his younger brother keep his mood up. And it was needed! They were lowbloods after all. Not meant for anything other than being servants and slaves. As a lowblood, it was just to take what you could get and work hard to keep it. Especially since their kind didn’t really had the right to love or reproduce…

Rufioh inhaled the fresh scent of nature for a while until he began walking towards the castle again. It was almost a too perfect day to stay inside, but at least he could be happy about being allowed to even stretch his wings now and then. Sadly he couldn’t say the same for his brother. He did feel guilt. It would always feel like it was his fault that Tavros lot his wings… or got them ripped off! He was immediately met by guards who questioned him. Every day was all the same. They always asked him where he had been, if the job was properly accomplished and as always searched him through lightly to be sure that he weren’t hiding anything. Or have stolen anything to be correct. It wasn’t so that Rufioh had bad reputation or anything in the castle, it was only because the Amporas never really trusted no one. It wouldn’t surprise Rufioh if they didn’t even trust each other. A grin was formed on his lips as he stood on the castles staircase, holding his arms out like a living scarecrow allowing the two guards to pat his sides. Probably feeling around for suspicious lumps that could be stolen items hidden away under his clothes.

“Are you two done? I know I’m irresistible and all but-“

“Oh shut your mouth, peasant!” The guard snapped while continuing searching his torso. After a short while they stepped away from him and allowed him to pass through the castle doors. Normally staff wouldn’t pass though the main entrance but since it was closer to inform the king that way he was an exception. Proudly holding his head high Rufioh passed the guards by and waved at them on his way inside. He simply answered them with a cocky tone in his voice.

“I’m not a peasant. I’m an errand boy. But don’t feel bad. Many trolls never see the difference.”

He chuckled and made his way up the huge stairway, slowly leading up to the second floor. The huge throne hall was built on the second floor where the royalty members held their ceremonies or just sat around in, feeling awfully special. As he walked down the corridor to the left he soon reached huge door that kept the throne hall inside. It was made out of silver and had beautiful patterns carved in it. Rufioh couldn’t help but think about how much money had been but in making it. But to hell with it, it wasn’t his concern. He gave the door a good knock before waiting on someone to answer it. Surprisingly no one opened in a while and it resulted in the winged troll opening the door himself. The huge violet decorated hall opened itself to him as he stepped inside. The floor was made out of marble and it was covered in violet rugs. Golden candleholders and paintings were decorating the walls and a huge crystal crown was hanging from the ceiling. Just as any other castle he thought to himself…

In front of him further into the room near the wall he could spot the three thrones. Every castle in this land had a throne room like this. Maybe the Peixes throne hall was bigger and the Makaras preferred darker colors. Otherwise, they were all the same. To his surprise the Amporas weren’t there, not even the king? Maybe he left for a ride with the royal hoofbeasts? Honestly he gave a crap about what the royal trolls did. He was just here to pass on a message, nothing else. Rufioh sighed and stretched his back a little. He explored the huge room with his eyes, memorizing every single detail. The paintings, the patterns, the colours, silver and gold… everything. He smirked as he walked up to the three thrones and stopped just in front of them to have a better view. Quietly he inspected the violet silk fabric that the thrones pillow was dressed in. It was a lovely piece of art actually. An incredible work made out of workers for the royalties comfort. Oh how he hated them all.

Rufioh felt another smirk forming on his lips as a silent little thought crawled up his mind, softly telling him to perform it. How many low and midbloods hadn’t once dreamed about becoming royalty for at least a little while? Slowly he stepped up and made himself comfortable on the throne in the middle. King Dualscars throne! The lowblood grinned, leaning back against the soft silk and grinded himself against it. He left his mark on it by invading the highbloods property. Slowly he placed his hands on the thrones armrests and spaced out over the room. He imagined the whole hall being filled with trolls from the land, some he knew and others complete strangers he had helped. Most of them were low and midbloods, happily cheering at him for what he had accomplished. In front of him were the royal bloods kneeling right before his knees. Their hands and legs being tied and they were all looking up at him, pleading with their eyes to have him spare their pathetic lives. Rufioh only sneered. As if he would show them any mercy! He reached out his arm, forming a signal to the guards surrounding the royals. Having them taking out their swords and axes. And before you knew it… Heads were rolling across the room!

The whole hall was cheering, screaming and yelling in triumph! They were free! Rufioh spaced cross the room once more, enjoying the pleased faces in the crowds. And in front of them all was his little brother sitting. Happily he showed a face of hope towards his brother. Rufioh returned the smile, nodding at Tavros. This was a dream come true…

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? GET OFF THE THRONE IMMEDIATELY!”

The sudden rasp and high pitch voice that flew across the room made Rufioh return to reality. He blinked a few times and raised his head a bit to see who was talking to him. At the other side of the room by the doors he could spot Kankri all shocked and a slight glint of panic could be shown in his eyes. Rufioh was indeed a bit surprised. Kankri wasn’t really the type who raised his voice that loud. Sure he talked a lot but he rarely shouted out. His little brother Karkat was different though. He almost shouted his lungs out every day. It was a miracle that prince Eridan could even stand him. Kankri quickly made sure that the doors were closed behind him before he stumbled a few steps closer into the room, glaring at Rufioh. The winged troll just had to smirk. Kankri looked ridicules with that mask of panic on his face. As if Rufioh trying out the throne would be THAT bad. Instead of stepping down from the throne Rufioh only crossed his legs and leaned against the armrest, returning the glare.

“What? I was just resting my legs a little.”

“Are you mad!? Don’t you know how much trouble you’re getting yourself into!? What if the guards see you!? Or the king!?”

Rufioh sighed deeply, twisting and turning a little on the spot. He was a little bit of a rebel to his kind. He refused to take crap from anybody, lower or higher than himself didn’t matter. He did know that Kankri had a point though. He WAS getting himself in trouble for doing this. But at the same time it was only Kankri and himself in the throne hall at the moment and nobody had seen them yet. With a soft grunt Rufioh straightened his back, sitting up better on the King’s throne. He enjoyed how Kankri’s face formed another expression of panic.

“You need to relax, Kankri. I’m just sitting down on a chair.”

“A CHAIR!? That’s the King’s THRONE! And if you don’t get down from it you’ll get executed! WHAT IF THEY’LL FIND OUT!?”

“If you stop screaming and yelling like a maniac they won’t find out. Besides… who’s going to tell them about this? Not me…”

“W-well… I just might!”

Kankri didn’t really know if he was doing right by saying so. He never wanted to cause trouble, nor for himself or others, but he was taught to always speak the truth. Kankri could see how a small glint of anger formed itself in Rufiohs eyes. He slowly rose up from the throne, actually stepping down from it but only stopped in front of it. Rufioh and Kankri didn’t have any bad history between each other but they weren’t really good friends. Even though they had been living and serving in the same castle for a few sweeps they still hadn’t really got to know each other so well. Now it was an uncomfortable silence in the hall. Rufioh glared at Kankri with cold eyes, warning him about the suggestion or threat. If Kankri said anything about this of course it would bring the Nitram brothers problems. Rufioh could take it but he was worried about Tavros. Hadn’t he suffered enough!? And why was Kankri so damn loyal to the Highbloods!? He should hate them just as much as Rufioh did! Kankri tried to break the silence but was immediately cut off by the now angry Rufioh. 

“You would do what!? Act like a good little mutant slave for the royalty? Run and tell because a lowblood acted a little naughty? Do you hear yourself!? Are you betraying your own kind!? Oh yes… I forgot. You’re a MUTANT! You should have been put in the ground sweeps ago! The moment the unlucky troll giving birth to you they would have clubbed you to death! You don’t belong anywhere so you try hard to be accepted by trolls who secretly despise you!? How ridicules!”

Kankri swallowed loudly and tried his best to prevent the familiar feeling of crying take over. It was right. He knew that. Every word was true. But insulting him only gave him another reason to tell. Besides, if it was Rufioh who did something wrong it should be HE who should take the blame. No one else. But he was also wondering if it would be fair… It wasn’t like Rufioh broke anything or if he had stolen from the castle… He didn’t reach further in his thoughts before he could hear a small snicker coming from the other lowblood. Rufioh had a rather satisfying expression and slowly nodded towards him.

“I also believe it would be stupid of you to tell on me. I just happen to know a thing or two about you, Kankri. How about a deal?”

Kankri flinched. He didn’t like the sound of that. It was slightly scaring him a little by the tone in Rufiohs voice. The other lowblood gently smiled and crossed his arms. He took a moment before suggesting his offer.

“If you won’t tell that I invaded the Kings precious chair… I won’t tell that you have a secret romance with prince Cronus.”

Kankri felt a chill run down his spine. It was as if someone was pouring ice cold water all over him. He could barely take in that those words had just left Rufiohs lips. How did he find out!? They had been well hidden away in the forest! Suddenly he realized how… The wings… Rufioh must have seen them while flying errands! Damn him! Kankri bit his lower lip, clenching his fists tight and tried his best to remain calm. It was decided already. He couldn’t let that secret slip out. If it did… both he and Karkat could say goodbye to everything… even their own lives.

“I’ll… promise I won’t tell a thing of what you do. Please just… don’t tell anyone about me and prince Cronus. I’m begging you…”

Rufioh smiled in satisfaction. Now he didn’t have to worry about Kankris little snitch attitude for a while. He slightly brushed off the thrones pillow with his hand before heading towards Kankri. He slightly passed him without much more to say until he reached the big doors. He opened for himself and before leaving he turned and smiled.

“Don’t worry Kankri. My lips are sealed. Truth will always appear sooner or later, but it won’t be from me. And remember! I’m on your side as a fellow lowblood.”

Kankri didn’t answer. He only stood frozen on the spot, still shocked after that his secret was in danger. He just wanted Rufioh to leave him alone for the moment. He could hear that the other troll was about to leave but just as the doors were about to close he could hear Rufioh leave a final comment.

 “Oh and if you would bump into the King before me, can you tell him that the Pexies will expect them to pay them a visit in four days? Thanks.”

With that, the doors finally closed behind Kankri. He was now alone in the throne hall. He stared in front of him with a blank stare. He stared at the three thrones. Later… Cronus would take over and marry someone to rule the kingdom together with him by his side. And Kankri knew that is was not going to be him... He angrily swore to himself and clenched his fists harder. He was NOT going to cry! He was weak enough already… He was going to put his feelings aside as well as he could. No one would be able to suspect a thing! He would make sure of it! For his and Karkats sake. But how do you hide love?

Later that evening Kankri had a hard time trying to relax. His behavior during dinner sure did not help him hide that he was nervous. He could still feel the icing chill that refused to leave his spine alone. It kept telling him to be on his watch and look out for any kind of danger. It almost felt like everyone in this room were after him. Cronus had noticed his company pet’s nervous act but decided not to question it until dinner was over. Neither Eridan nor Dualscar said anything while eating. They slowly and carefully ate in silence. Cronus on the other half tried to break the silence by telling them about his day without anyone really caring. Not even Kankri. Of course the day had been lovely but… Rufioh had ruined everything. Why did he have to find out about this!? They should have been more careful… He barely ate anything. He was just looking at his plate and sighed. The food was delicious as always but he had no appetite left. As soon as dinner would be over he would hurry back to Cronus room and stay out of trouble for a while.

When dinner was over and the kitchen staff had done the dishes Kankri had returned to Cronus room as he had told himself. He was now sitting on the prince bed, gently stroking his hand over the soft satin blanket. He blushed while thinking about that kiss he shared with Cronus. Oh how he would love to share another one with the prince once again… If he was correct and knew the Cronus himself, he might get another kiss pretty soon. Yet that thought scared him a little. What if they were caught? He couldn’t even picture what the punishment would be. What would happen to Karkat then? Maybe they would hurt him! It just couldn’t happen! Kankri flinched and jumped a little on the spot as he heard the door open. He sat stiff as a stick as Cronus walked inside, smiling at him. He closed the door after him before walking up to his closet. He slowly stripped himself off the clothes and changed into his sleeping gown. Kankri felt his cheeks getting warmer as he watched him. After Cronus was done he turned to his company pet and observed him with a soft worried expression.

“Are you alright, Kankri? You seemed awfully quiet during dinner. Did you catch a cold? Fever?”

“H-Huh!? O-oh. Not at all, your Majesty. I just…”

“Kankri… Stop calling me that. I said Cronus is fine. Like the past sweeps actually…”

“I’m sorry your Ma- Cro-… Cronus…”

“See? That wasn’t so hard was it? Now…”

Cronus slowly sat down by Kankri’s side, smiling at him. He slowly lifted up his hand and gave Kankri’s cheek a soft stroke. His company pet relaxed a bit, enjoying the touch from his prince. For a short while he could forget about what Rufioh had said to him. Cronus slowly leaned in to touch Kankri’s lips again. Softly they touched once more and the familiar warm feeling flew across Kankri’s body. His whole face took a candy red shade, he put his hands on the prince’s shoulder and let the kiss go deeper. Never before had he ever felt such wonderful feeling. It was better than the feeling of freedom itself. Cronus soon broke the kiss between then, smiling widely while his own cheeks took colour.

“So.. what’s wrong Kankri?”

Kankri flinched and quickly looked aside. He couldn’t tell Cronus about it. It would ruin so much for them! He shivered and shook his head, pulling himself closer to Cronus. He rested his head against Cronus warm chest, smiling to himself.

“P-please… I don’t want to talk about it tonight. Instead allow me to relax and enjoy this feeling.”

Cronus quietly observed his company pet for a moment before and nodded and gently kissed Kankri’s head. He smelled so nice and was so cuddly when you got the chance to hug him. Kankri normally hated when people touched him. It made him nervous and cranky. Cronus gently placed his hand under Kankri’s chin, lifting it up so their faces could meet. He gently pressed another kiss on the mutant’s lips, enjoying the moment. It almost felt like the whole room was getting warmer. As the kiss broke once again to let them both breath, The prince smiled and gently pushed the other troll down on the bed. Kankri blushed, feeling the cold satin fabric under him. It would get warmer after them grinded against it for a while, warming it up with their boy heat. Kankri swallowed, now looking up at the prince who smiled down at him. He moved his hands upwards and over Kankri’s arms. He locked his fingers in the other’s hands, making sure that he could feel him. Cronus leaned over him once more, reached down for a kiss. This one was harder, deeper and much warmer. Kankri twitched as he felt Cronus tongue slowly sliding inside his mouth, exploring it. The slippery and warm feeling made his heart beat faster. He could feel saliva dripping down his cheek during the kiss, but he didn’t matter. This was wonderful!

Cronus moved his now warm up body against his company pet. Gently grinding himself against him, letting him feel the love he wanted to give him. Kankri could feel excitement growing inside them both. He felt himself getting… aroused. He didn’t like to use that word but he couldn’t lie about his own body. He enjoyed this and so did the prince. A prince getting all aroused by a mutant troll!? Oh how he shivered at the thought that he made the prince like this. Soon Cronus broke the kiss and looked down on Kankri. He was blushing, panting and drooling. Cronus snickered to himself. If Kankri saw himself like this he would go mad. The prince stroked him over the cheek once more, a violet blush was all over his face.

“How far would you like to go tonight Kankri? And be honest with me.”

Kankri’s heart almost stopped. He was feeling so warm and light at the moment. A little nervous of course but also full of a tingly feeling that he almost didn’t care. Before he knew it he was drowning in another warm, slippery and tender kiss.

 

Karkat flinched and woke from his sleep, quickly sitting up in his bed. He waited for a while to get used to the darkness before he heard it again. A noise that had woke him up. It came from the outside. Karkat was sleeping in a small hall together with some other workers. He did in fact have his own small room but rarely slept in it due to the fact that he hated being alone. Kankri slept in Cronus room since he was a company pet. Karkat was a caretaker and got his own room apart from other workers but he didn’t quite care or like it that much. It didn’t suit him and he did miss his dorky and annoying brother. They barely saw each other most of the time. Quietly he lifted the covers and got out of his bed. His bare feet tapped against the cold floor as he dragged themselves after him. Without really knowing he woke up Tavros as well who was sleeping in the other corner next to his brother. He blinked confused and tried to understand what was going on. He could soon see the silhouette of Karkat, standing in the middle of the room in his nightgown. Tavros slowly sat up better, tilting his head a bit.

“K-Karkat? Is that you?”

“Shhh!” Karkat hushed him while trying to listening better. He could have sworn he heard something again. He looked at Tavros and made a gest, trying to tell him to be quiet. Karkat slowly walked towards the door but flinched as he could hear a noise behind him. He turned to see that Tavros tried his best to follow him. Thanks to his handicap he stumbled forward a little. His balance was pretty bad as well. Karkat groaned and bit his lip in slight panic. He hoped that they wouldn’t wake anyone up! He hurried up to Tavros, putting an arm around him and helped him as well as he could. Karkat knew that Tavros always wanted to help as best as he could and of course he was good at it. Tavros always deserved some room after all he’d been through. But Karkat didn’t let him follow by pity… mostly because he was scared. He would never admit it of course but that was the truth.

They walked through the corridor leading out to the backside where the forge, stable and even chicken house. Ampora had plenty around their castle to their owing. They managed to get out through the kitchen back door, ending out on the open backyard. Karkat tried to swallow his fear as best as he could but it was hard. It was dark, cold and rather creepy outside tonight. It was also rather… quiet. Tavros on the other hand weren’t really scared. He was mostly tired and confused why they were even out here in the middle of the night. With a soft whisper he broke the silence between the two trolls.

“Um Karkat? What are we doing outside?”

“Shh… I thought I heard something. I’m sure of it.”

“Uh… Heard what? It’s natural for the nature to cause noises. Are you sure you’re o-“

Suddenly the silence was broken by a noise that reminded them both of a small scream. Then it became all quiet again. Karkat clanged himself against Tavros, biting his lower lip in fear. Who or what made that noise!? It was THAT noise he had heard before! Tavros stood all quiet and tried to recognize the strange sound. Before he knew it he stumbled off with Karkat after him out over the yard. Karkat at first tied to protest but it was no use when Tavros had made up his mind. Stubborn as his brother he sure could be.

When Karkat managed to calm down a little he noticed that Tavros had stopped in front of the henhouse. Exactly why wasn’t clear until Karkat finally asked what was going on. He noticed that Tavros took a few stumbling steps towards the coop to have a look inside. Karkat waited a few steps away, keeping guard just in case. Who knows… maybe it was just a wild beast around making those noises. Not really so comforting and calming but… better than a thief or murderer stroking around the castle’s woods.

Tavros was silent for a while before he slowly called for Karkat to come over to the coop and have a look for himself. It wasn’t really tempting but the young mutant listened and took a few steps forward until he was standing next to Tavros. He took a moment to strain his eyes in the dark to see well. When his eyes finally got more used to the dark he noticed what Tavros meant. He flinched and backed up a little in shock. A trail of blood was leading out from the hen-house and two chickens had their heads severed. The strange thing was that it was done by a knife… Not jaws or teeth but a knife. While Karkat felt like barfing Tavros carefully knelt down to one of the dead birds to have a closer look at it. It was completely drained on blood. He managed to stand up and turned to Karkat with a worried look on his face.

“K-karkat… I think we should go back inside now. We’ll talk to the other staff about this in the morning.”

Karkat only nodded and allowed Tavros to lean against him for support. The two trolls then slowly stumbled back inside the castle again and back to their rooms. Both of them silently got back to bed a little worked up and chilled by the small night terror. The one finding that in the morning would not be having a good start of the day. 

Meanwhile a troll wearing a dark cloak hurried out from the bush they’ve been hiding in while the two boys been out by the coop. Soft and quick breaths was taken as the figure hurried around the castles huge left wall, avoiding being seen by the night guards. They hurried quickly in the direction towards the garden. It was a wonderful night and the moon was almost full. The stars twinkled brightly and the air was cool and fresh. The figure stopped for a moment, hiding behind a huge rosebush slowly looking behind their shoulders to be sure that no one was either watching or following. They turned towards the greenhouse that was located under a huge tree nearby the hedge surrounding the garden. Quickly the cloaked dressed troll hurried over to the tree and quickly disappeared round the garden house corner.

Behind the greenhouse was Porrim waiting. She was resting on a bench, feeling rather tired and ill. The cloaked troll hurried up to her and sat down by her side. The troll lifted the hood on their cloak revealing that it was her younger sister Kanaya. She carried a bottle with her filled with a thick liquid. Quickly she helped Porrim sit up straight and have a few deep breaths before she opened the bottle and handed it to her sister. Porrim almost immediately ripped the bottle out of Kanaya’s hands, pressing the tip of the bottle to her lips and gulped the liquid down as if her life depended on it. Well, it sort of did to be honest. The liquid was in fact the chicken blood. When Porrim had almost finished the bottle she stopped and took a deep breath, slowly relaxing against her sister. Kindly she handed the bottle back to Kanaya, making sure her sister drank what was left in the bottle.

When the two sisters had finished the blood they took a moment to enjoy the silence and life of the night. They bathed in the moon light while allowing the blood to satisfy their thirst. When Porrim had finally come to her sense she pulled Kanaya closer to her, smiling kindly but yet she was showing her worry.

“This isn’t good Kanaya… This could end in a catastrophe if we won’t be careful. Next time we’ll hunt down a beast from the forest to easily hide evidence.”

“I’ll take care of my mess in the morning. Early of course. Please don’t worry about it.”

“It’ll still be hard not to. And our thirst will be worst around full moon. That’s when you can’t control your thirst. I’ll make sure to get us blood by then to store up. It’s the best for us all if we try our best to keep this under control.”

The two sisters sighed deeply while slowly allowing the moon to shine through the tree’s branches. The moon was so gentle and did well for them during their bloodthirst. It helped them stay calm and think. If only their mother was here to help them understand this better… After a while they cleaned off their face by wiping them off with the cloak Kanaya was wearing. They would wash off their faces with water as soon as they got back to their room. While Porrim slowly walked ahead Kanaya stopped for a while, quietly enjoying a few more seconds in the moonlight shower. She could still taste blood in her mouth which softly relaxed her body and mind. One day they might suck blood from other trolls like their mother did. Trolls that helped her kindly to ease her thirst and mind while she was in need. But that would not be tonight. With another glint of the moon she turned her heel around and hurried to catch up with her sister.

They had to be careful now.


	16. Secrets by the oak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Update on this story... It's been pretty long I know but I've finally got my inspiration back. 
> 
> So I've decided to bring the kids into this story after all, but of course as troll versions. They are important to the story now. I have also put in two OC-characters... Normally I never do that! But I need some more characters so yeah... But you can all relax, they are NOT Mary sues, far from perfect and will NOT engage in any relationships with the official characters. Because, I don't do that! 
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and with some luck I can manage to keep on writing. :)

“Are you satisfied with the colour, your majesty?”

Porrim asked as kindly as she could towards the prince but it was obvious she was holding back on her sarcasm. She had been working on the wedding suit for Cronus all morning. The Maryams had no problems what so ever with sewing since they had owned a shop before. Their shop that this family’s guards burned down to the ground not very long ago! The hate was boiling inside her but she held a straight and calm face all the time. This morning she had been dragged out of bed and almost immediately was put to work.

Of course she had the time to eat and change into her new chamber maid outfit. The white blouse with the puffy jade coloured skirt that is. Porrim even tied up her hair in a knot to keep it out of the way during her work. Kanaya already had short hair so it was no need for her to do that. The two sisters had been informed about the upcoming wedding between Cronus and Meenah, and a lot of work was coming their way. Either of them cared much about it at all, they had their own problems to think about. Such as keeping their secret thirst for blood a hidden secret. They were lucky that no one had brought up the subject about the henhouse yet. At least not to them…

Cronus was observing his reflection at the moment, spinning around slowly to get a view of each detail an angle of himself. The outfit was indeed very nicely made and he did admire the work to the fullest. But the thought of what it was made for didn’t exactly make him that excited to give Porrim an answer right away. Soon he would pay the Peixes a visit to discuss further details for the wedding. Soon he span around, facing Porrim with a smile. He nodded slowly before turning to the mirrors again.

“Yes. It’s very nice. I admire your work, darling.”

Porrim flinched and frowned at the comment. Flattery was nothing she was interested in. Especially not from the prince. Cronus noticed and smiled again. He didn’t know her that well since she newly arrived at the castle. She and her sister probably loathed them already. He sighed and tugged the shirt collar a little. It wasn’t tight or anything, but it made him feel awfully nervous at the moment. The violet coloured jacket had golden edges and the pants reached perfectly to his knees. White socks would probably go with these along with a pair of black high heeled shoes. He tried to picture his wedding. It would probably be huge! All three kingdoms would be there, almost a sea of subjects and of course the Empress herself would wed them. Yet this wedding wouldn’t make them King and Queen yet. Not until The Empress and his father would step down of their thrones and crown them. To be honest he didn’t feel any rush over it all. Eridan would make such a greater king than himself… At least Eridan WANTED to become king.

Cronus turned to Porrim again, who only stood stiff as a stick, holding her hands softly in front of her. Maybe they could get to know each other a bit. Cronus cleared his throat and bowed politely for the chamber maid. Porrim flinched at the gesture and took a small step back. Was he playing with her!? After that the prince straightened his back and slowly removed the jacked, handing it over to her.

“Say, Miss Porrim? Or would you prefer me to address you as Maryam?”

Porrim rolled her eyes and folded the jacket slowly over her arm, not bothering giving him an answer to his question. Cronus stepped down from the stool he was standing on. He then made his way made his way around a divider-screen standing not far away from the mirrors where he could change. There was no need doing that in front of the chamber maid. In silence he started to change his clothes back. The suit was not finished yet and he had to return it so Porrim could finish it. While still changing behind the screen he thought about breaking the ice again with more questions. If his chamber maid got mad it was alright with him. It wasn’t like he could control every emotion in her body. And it was good that way.

“Might I ask were you and your sister come from? I believe I heard your last name somewhere before but I’m not sure… You said you’re quite skilled in clothes making. Could it be that-“

“We owned a shop in town.” Porrim filled in the sentence for the prince before he could finish it. To be honest. It didn’t matter that much anymore what he asked her. If he had to know all about her past she would tell him, but not in a pleasant way. She was ready to tell him all the pain his kind had caused her. He was probably used to it anyway already so more wouldn’t hurt, right?  Cronus thought for a while to get the view of the building into his head. He was sure he had seen it before. Normally, he never really visited the town that much. The Amporas barely did that at all since Kind Dualscar thought of it as a waste of time or easy way to catch diseases. However, a few time he had been to town but not often. So it was hard to remember. Cronus had just finished changing into his own clothes and took a light grip around what was left of the wedding outfit. He walked around the screen again, handing the clothes to Porrim. She didn’t even look at him while gently folding the fabric over her arm again.

“So a shop? I believe the business went well then? Is that correct?”

“We sold outfits and fabrics to the kingdoms, your majesty. Even yours. Several of the outfits in your closet are done by my mother.”

Cronus looked up at her with a smirk. If her mother was that skilled in clothes making he would have a whole new closet with several beautiful outfits for the rest of his life! Porrim could almost read his mind by the expression on his face. She frowned before rolling her eyes. Royalty… How she loathed them! If she could she would suck them all dry from blood and make clothes out of their skin! But that was only wishful thinking and she had no time for that now. Cronus thought a little about the thing his new chamber maid said before asking another question.

“Your mother… Did she teach you both how to sew?”

“Yes. She taught us everything we had to know. She was a beautiful lady with manners and talent. A quite bit of a temper sometimes but in our eyes, she was perfect. Do I have to say more?”

Cronus observed her with a calm expression. He could hear that the tone in her voice changed to somewhat more irritated but it didn’t bother him. He wanted to know more about her and so he should. Even if she didn’t want to. He had heard stories about that Jade blooded trolls sometimes developed a special talent or power during their growing sweeps. Maybe he could make her tell him if it was true or not. He really wanted to know more about her kind.

“I would much appreciate if you did. In fact, tell me more about your mother.”

Porrim almost growled at him as he finished. She almost felt like biting open his neck. After a small breath she calmed down and arched her back.

“She was in fact a strong woman who I admired more than anything. She never listened to Highbloods or took in the fact that she was only a midblood! She also took long walks at night in the moonlight. It helped her relax from work. More I will not tell you!”

After that she only hold onto his outfit and frowned. The prince walked up to a table standing in the left corner. It had a few books lying on it. After a moment of looking the through in silence he picked one out and turned to face Porrim again. With a gentle smile he reached out the book for her and nodded.

“I normally don’t do things like this but. If you want you could borrow this. I snuck it from the library before my studies started. You should give it a try.”

He handed her a book with a darkgreen cover. The title said “The fairness drinking from the nights fountain”. Porrim only gave the book a cold stare but took it from his hands. She didn’t quite know what to say or do. If she was going to read it or not, she would decide later.

“Thank you, your majesty… I’m not quite sure I can accept it though.”

“Please do. I recommend that you try reading it. You might like it. However, that was everything I believe. You can leave now.”

Porrim sighed and bowed to him before she slowly walked towards the door. She had to get back to hers and Kanayas room do finish. It didn’t take long for her to reach back to her room. She tried her best to avoid any guards on the way. She was in no mood for more talking unless it was with her sister. While reaching the first floor and turning to the corridor where her room was she could hear two voices talking nearby. Carefully she walked closer to find out that the voices came from a room nearby. It was probably one of the other servants. They sounded young, around Kanayas age. She carefully moved closer to the opened door to see two young trolls talking. One of them seemed awfully worried while the other one tried to act as calm as possible.

“Did anyone notice the hen-house today? I mean, it has to be obvious that something happened there right?”

“Well Karkat… The strangest thing happened. The hen-house was repaired this morning when I and Rufioh went out to check. It was… perfectly repaired to be honest. The blood was gone and the only sign that it truly happened was that two hens were missing. Whoever it was… must have tried to make it up for themselves.”

“B-but… T-that- It DID happen right? So the thief came back to clean up!? How many time do you see that happening?”

“Not many… umm… but Rufioh said that we shouldn’t spread the rumor. As long as the king doesn’t know, we’re fine.”

Porrim sighed in relief and hurried away from the spot. Kanaya sure seemed to have kept her promise about cleaning up the mess they left behind the night before. As long as nobody more than they knew about what have happened it was fine. If they were going to get more blood later they would do as Porrim had said. They would hunt something down from the forest. It would be a little harder since they weren’t professional hunters… If only they had contact with the Leijons. They would have been able to help them like they used to. They often helped them with donating some blood from their hunts. Maybe they could get in touch with them again! She was wondering if they still lived in their cottage in the forest.

While those thoughts came across her mind she finally reached her room. She opened the door, carefully holding onto the fabrics and book in her right hand while opening the door with the left. When she went inside she carefully placed the clothes in a chair while then walking up to her bed. She was still holding the book in her hands. She sat down on the bed, gently stroking the books cover while observing it from every angle. She was thinking about what the prince said. He had recommended it to her. But why? Maybe it was something he just said to try to get closer to her… If he was trying to closer to her in THAT way he better give up already.

She slowly and carefully opened the book, facing two blank page at first. While she flipped to the third page she noticed a small text along with a signature. It was written in longhand by a typical feather pencil with ink. She took a moment to read it through. A gasp left her lips and lungs. She had to read it over and over again to be sure. It was true! The text said “In dedication to Dolorosa.” After that the authors name came up. The troll who wrote the book was called “Willroh.” She was thinking about the name. She had never heard that name before. Was it someone her mother had known? Willroh… No it didn’t ring any bell at all. But he had written a book dedicated to hers and Kanayas mother thought so she must have known him. She hadn’t managed her mother’s name to the prince so he couldn’t have known about that when he gave her the book. She thought about giving it a try as soon as possible. Or maybe she could start already. With that she flipped another page and started reading on the chapter one.

Meanwhile Kanaya was in the stables looking around at the hoofbeasts. She had changed outfit from her working dress into a beige shirt with puffy arms, a black vest to go with it and black pants and boots. She looked around for a weak one. Around the boxes to find someone that might die soon by age. If so it could be a nice prey for them. A horse would give them a lot of blood. But it would be a big risk… It would never work. She sighed before she reached out her hand to pet one over its nose. The one she picked was darkbrown with a white spot on its forehead. It stared back at her with its big dark eyes. She couldn’t help but smile gently. They sure were beautiful creatures. She had never had one before or really got the time to get close to them. She tried to remember if they had known anyone with hoofbeasts before… As she kept petting the beautiful animal she could slowly feel a familiar sensation growing inside her.

Her mouth started watering, her heart began beating quicker and slowly, very slowly the creature in front of her changed. She started to see less of its shape and more of what was inside it. The warmth from it reminded her of the blood flowing inside its veins. Delicious liquid… She craved it! Even though Kanaya was still pretty young her bloodthirst started growing faster than her. She wouldn’t be able to control it until atleast she was around Porrims age. But they wouldn’t have full control over their powers until adulthood… Like every other troll. It was torture! She quickly looked around, trying to see if there was anyone else around. No! She was alone for the moment. Only other horses of course to keep her company but no servants. No one.

Maybe just… on little bite and sip of its blood wouldn’t hurt? Kanaya took a deep breath and carefully stepped inside of the stall. The horse didn’t show any signs of fear while she approached it. Her desperate eyes almost hypnotized it to stay on spot and more importantly stay quiet! If she scare any of these animals they would start screaming in fear all of them. She had to do this quick and carefully. She was also planning on not leaving any big marks. Just a little sip… Her fangs exposed as she opened her mouth slowly, her hands reached out for the animals thick neck. Her black lips shined from being moisten from her saliva. She couldn’t wait.

“What are you up to, miss?” A voice suddenly woke her up from her trance and she quickly span around to see a troll in her own age standing outside the box. He seemed awfully confused by her actions and she noticed how he leaned himself against the wall for better balance. He didn’t seem very harmful to her and if she played her cards right she could get herself out of this pretty easy. She straightened her back and met his eyes as calmly as she could at the moment. She had to hide the desperation in her eyes and wiped her mouth as discrete as she could.

“I was… I mean- I was just observing this creatures shape and strength. A quite lovely horse I must say.” Her voice sound rather sharp and full of confidence. She was good at hiding her weaker sides. She had been taught to do so. The other troll was quiet for a moment, causing Kanaya to build up a little nervous feeling inside her. Maybe he understood! But then she could see a calm smile form on his lips and he nodded in response. “Yes, isn’t he? He belongs to prince Eridan. One of his best horses.” Kanaya felt a little annoyed by that comment. Of course the two Ampora brats had more than ONE horse each. Soon they would probably have more as well, and she was NOT talking about horses.

She knew all about the upcoming wedding for example. Just to think about that two of the richest kingdoms children should wed and rule together… urgh she couldn’t even picture how many poor souls that would get their homes and freedom taken from them. New castles would probably be built as well. More workers, slaves and animals would lose everything they once own. Just for the greedy knew generation. She would rather die than be a part of that! She then quickly looked a side and thought to herself for a moment. It wasn’t good just to stand there all quiet and let the rage grow inside you. Perhaps it would pay off to continue the conversation after all. Kanaya made her way of the horse stall and got a better look at the other troll.

“So, what is your name? My name is Kanaya and I am a new chamber maid here. We arrived… not long ago at all.” He nodded again and helped himself up a little better so he could stand better. “I know when you two arrived. My name is Tavros and I help around with whatever I can around here. But mostly my brother does most of the work. I’m pretty useless…” Tavros sighed a little after that. He had been called useless since he did not possess wings anymore. If he could still fly he would have been given more responsibility around. Yet he didn’t matter much anyway so what was the point in even caring. At least he was alive, always something. He then smiled again and lifted his head to face Kanaya again. “Um excuse me for asking but… what are you doing in the stables if you’re a chamber maid?” Kanaya took a moment to think for a while. She couldn’t say that she was out here to suck blood from horses! She didn’t think that stable work was a suitable job for a chamber maid either so she couldn’t say that either… She had to think!

“I… Was out for a walk and thought I heard a horse yell. I just went inside to investigate and since no one else was around I thought it was alright?” Tavros flinched a bit and stumbled up to the box, inspecting the horse a bit from the spot. He didn’t even ask if it was that horse who had yelled but he couldn’t be too sure. If any of the horses was hurt… working in a castle was like a meadow filled with traps. If you did a single thing wrong it could cost you a lot, maybe even your own life. Kanaya took a step back and crossed her arms for a moment. It sure seemed like everyone around this place was scared and broken. She hoped that all of their spirits weren’t broken just yet. With a calmer voice she tried to calm the other troll down a little. “You see… I don’t believe it was anything serious. I just thought I heard something but I’m sure it was nothing. You can relax.”

Tavros sighed deeply in relief and leaned again the box door again. His back hurt and his legs were working hard to response to his body and keep him up. Kanaya had noticed his behavior and started to worry.

“Are you alright?”

“Huh? Yes… I’m fine. I just… umm… Have a hard time with walking. My spine is a little damaged. But they still work…”

“Did the Royal family do this to you?”

“Yes… It was a punishment for trying to escape. I… really don’t want to talk about it please…”

Kanaya slowly walked up to him and leaned down a little, with a gentle gesture she patted his shoulder and nodded. “Then I won’t force you.” Tavros gave her a wide smile. She was really nice, a pretty and well raised young woman indeed. It was a shame that she would spend the rest of her life here… Locked away and forced to serve the spoiled and unfair royalty. She would probably have been able to do so much more importance for this land. While they stayed together in the stable for a while a question was brought up that made Kanaya flinch in shock. It had just been a matter of time before somebody would ask about it.

“Did you by any chance hear about the incident during the night?”

“N-no. I did not.”

“I agree not to spread the word about it but… I feel that I can trust you. You won’t tell anyone if I tell you, right?”

“You have my word.”

“Someone had killed two chickens from the chicken coop… I know it’s not too much to worry about but, the strange thing was that it was not some forest beast getting inside the castle area but a troll. I could spot marks from a knife and the same tool must have been used for cutting off the chicken’s heads... I’m sorry if I-“

“No no! It’s quite alright. That sounds awful! Let’s hope it’s only some bandit that does it to mess with the royals. It may not be a problem.”

“I do hope so. Umm do you think that if you see or hear anything that might be connected to this… do you think you could share that information with me?”

“I don’t see a problem in that.”

The two trolls gave each other a smile. It seemed like they both just made a new friend.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the room of youngest prince, a whole hour had been well spent for trying on new clothes as well. Eridan was still nervous about meeting his new fiancée Feferi but he was good at hiding it. He had tried on 7 outfits in the dressing room but still kept on trying clothes when he got back to his room. Karkat was bored to death by the prince. How could he even bother about thinking about what the stupid princess would think of his clothes!? It wasn’t the reason to love someone! If princess Feferi would only like him for his clothes she would only be a huge waste of time. But after all… everything in Karkats life was a waste of time according to himself, even his stupid existence. But he had been grumpy for a long while now so it was no reason to keep on nagging. Instead he tried his best to give the prince the best response about the clothes as he could. With several of nice fabrics and colours to left and right there was no surprise Eridan couldn’t decide.

At the moment Eridan was wearing white stockings, a pair of dark blue pants reaching the knees, a white shirt and a dark blue jacket to match. It had golden thread by the edges and it did suit him well. Yet Karkat had seen so many outfits just for one day that they all looked the same on him. Also, all of them had been in either blue or purple. Highblood royalty mostly only wore clothes representing their own blood colour but they could wear fabric by any colour if they wanted. But rarely lower than green. It was their limit! Eridan sighed and turned to his caretaker, pleading for his support.

“Karkat! Do something useful for once and help me decide.”

“Excuse me!? Urgh alright… To be honest all of your stupid outfits look the same in my eyes. But… umm… This one your wearing now is actually quite nice.”

“Are you sure about that? It’s not too much?”

“That’s rare hearing you say that… I’m used to hearing you say it’s too little. I said I like that outfit the most. Think of it in this way. It’s dark blue like the deep sea. And if I have understood thing correctly, I believe that Princess Feferi is crazy about the ocean. She’ll adore it…”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes, I do. Pick that one!”

Eridan sighed in relief and span around to face his reflection again. He had to admit he liked it a lot. And maybe Karkat was right. Perhaps it did bring out the ocean darkness. Feferi would probably like it! Nothing to worry about! Eridan felt a lot more confident and relax when this problem was solved. However, Karkat seemed even more grumpy than usual which sure started to annoy the young prince. At least he could pretend to be excited for Eridans sake. He was engaged after all and would soon see his Fiancée! It was a big thing! Eridan let out a low sigh before he turned to his caretaker, facing him with an unpleasant expression. Karkat however was sitting on a chair, resting his chin and arms on its backrest. Nothing seemed to excite him at all.

“Now would you please tell me what’s wrong this time? Are you going to continue nagging about your low state and keep me from enjoying myself as usual? It seems like you haven’t done much else during the sweeps we’ve known each other.”

Karkat sighed in response, not even facing his prince while being spoken to. He seemed so far off in his thoughts. Could he perhaps be ill? Eridan actually felt a little worried for him. Of course he was spoiled and sometimes rude. But he DID care for the ones close to him and his caretaker was a close person to him after all. After putting on his cape and straightening his back her walked up to the somewhat lost in thought troll.

“Karkat? Are you alright?”

“Yeah… I’m fine. I just… been thinking a little.” His voice sounded rather hurt, as if he was haunted by the pain of tears being held back. He did in fact look like as if he was about to cry. This made Eridan feel a little bad. He hadn’t even spoken nicely to his caretaker for days now, and he had been noticing a change in him for a while. Eridan slowly walked up to his bed gently sat down on. He made sure not to let Karkat out of his sight.

“Would you mind telling me what’s wrong? Maybe I could help. Besides, you’re always there for me when I need you. You may not be my company pet but we’re rather close anyway.” Karkat frowned a little at the pet comment. Was that really necessary? He rolled his eyes before he took his time to figure out an answer. He did want to speak about his problems but… he had already nagged so much about them that it just didn’t feel like it mattered anymore. But it would be nice to get it off his chest.

“I… I just… I just feel a little jealous.”

“Jealous? Why is that?”

“That you’re… getting married one day. Sure to someone you’ve never met but you still have the right to feel love! I’m not! My kind will never get that right! I will always be a mutant ready become wormfood in the future. I will never find someone… Life would never accept that for me… I also wonder… how my mother felt after giving birth to me. Was she sad? Terrified? Disgusted!? Probably all of those at once… I hope she weren’t slayed right after for being a mutant carrier. I’ve heard that before… Some female trolls gets killed or punished for carrying a creature like me inside them. Luckily I will never bring that fear or humiliation to another troll. Since I won’t be allowed to- to- m-meet a-anyone…”

Karkat growled as he couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks. It hurt! It hurt so much inside him. He knew it was useless to care or even bother. But he couldn’t help it. He also knew about his brothers feelings for the older prince. He hoped that Kankri would forget about those feelings. He was smart enough to understand how useless and stupid it was. Eridan had listen to every word his caretaker had said. He was now observing Karkat who tried to wipe the tears away with his arm, it didn’t really work that well. Eridan sighed deeply before he rose up from his seat. “Use your handkerchief instead. You’re only messing up your clothes.”

Karkat frowned but reached into the right pocket on his vest. With a messy gesture he managed to pull it out and slowly began patting his cheeks with it. After only three or four strokes it was completely soaked in his tears. He sniffed and let his eyes met the princes. His face was all puffy and red from crying. “Happy!?”

Eridan only nodded before he reached out his arm and placed his hand on Karkats shoulder. He met his caretaker with a serious expression. “Whatever will become of us, Karkat, is not written in stone. Only on paper.”

Karkat frown at that stupid sentence. If he really could break free from his stupid fate it had to be a royalty who changed the rules! And only by that way!

Outside in the garden were a few servants working. Everything had to stay in perfect order to make the whole castle area look stunning. All of the kingdoms kept their huge gardens in perfect condition. The only ones who had to suffer to get the garden a pleasant view to others were the servants. Along these troll were Rufioh working. He kept the hedges, roses and even the wall around the garden in order to look for any damage. He felt all tense and tired after the work but he could handle it, as long as he could use his wings. He decided to take a quick turn around the castles backyard. The garden whole garden needed a checkup. He decided to walk instead of flying so he wouldn’t get any sour guards after him at the moment. He had no energy to pick up a fight with those braindead murder machines.

After a long walk to reach the end of the wall he finally came across a part of the wall that separated the castle area from the forest. He knew there was a meadow on the other side of the wall and then a part of the forest could be spotted not very far away. During the night he used to fly over the wall and into the forest. He had his own business there and he had to keep it a secret! Before he knew it a rock came flying over the huge wall and landed just a few inches from his feet. Well well! It seemed like the news had arrived! He quickly used his foot to roll the stone in between his feet before looking around a little. He seemed to be pretty alone at the spot. He quickly knelt down to pick up the rock and inspected it. A piece of paper was attached to it by the help of a thread. He slowly pulled the thread by its edge and loosened it up to get the paper. He carefully unfolded it and quietly read it out to himself.

“ _Big news! Meeting by the big oak tonight! Make sure to avoid unwanted attention!_ ”

Rufioh smirked widely to himself before he dug the paper into his pocket. Finally! News about the revolution! He had waited for weeks to know what happened! He only hoped that it would be good news of course. Before he made sure that no one had seen him he flew up to the wall and then quickly over it without being spotted. He knew it was a risk doing so during daylight but he had to check on the ‘mailman’. With a soft thump he landed on his feet and looked around. He then could see a troll standing by the wall, ready to run off back to the forest. “Hey! Drakar! Wait up-“

“SHHH! Are you mad!? You want the whole damn castle to come after us!?” The troll hissed madly at him, grinding his sharp teeth. He then made a quick look around before hurrying up to the one in front of him. The troll had black boots, black pants along with a black vest without a shirt under it. He had a golden chain around his neck as well. His hair was short in the back but he had a long side bang covering the right side of his face. His iris showed a bright orange colour telling his blood rather obviously. His name was Drakar and both he and Rufioh had met each other pretty long about during one of Rufiohs many secrets visits to other towns. Drakar however were a pretty stiff and a little rude person. But he was smart and always put up a fight if he had to. He gave Rufioh an expression mixed with anger and fear. “Why are you here now!? The note clearly said tonight, you idiot.”

“I know that, but why such short notice? At least tell me a little so I know what I’m dealing with.” Rufioh gave Drakar a wide smile. He sure was excited to know about the revolution from the kingdom Drakar were from. Drakar however only gave him another angry glare. “No! Not now. Tonight! I’m not risking getting caught here. You have to wait till night, Rufioh. I’ve gathered what’s left of the revolution… It’s not a proud look but it’s something. Now I’m out of here. See you tonight!” With that, Drakar turned around and dashed a s fast as he could over the meadow. He was heading back to the forest. Rufioh sighed deeply but understood what Drakar meant. It was too risky discussing this here and so close to the castle. He stretched his neck a little before he spread out his wings better and flew up over the wall again. After landing on the castle ground again he hurried back to the roses. He had work to do before tonight.

 

When the night arrived and the royalty and staff had finally gone to sleep it was Rufiohs turn to wake up. He slowly got out of bed, careful and quiet not to wake the others. He gave his sleeping brother a stare before he hurried up and out of the room. He hated to do these things behind his brothers back but he had to for their futures sake. He made sure not to wake Karkat either. When he had finally left the room he closed the door quietly behind him and hurried down the corridor. He managed to sneak out one of the backdoors and before he knew it he was out in the huge backyard again. Carefully and quietly he managed to sneak the same way down as before without anyone spotting. It was night! Most of the ‘guards’ were sleeping anyway.

When finally reaching the wall he flew up over it and all the way over the meadow. He then reached the forest and with a smooth flight avoided branches and trees on his way. The moon was still shining all bright and helped guiding his way through the forest. Before he knew it he reached a huge tree. The big oak! The tree was so tall and thick that it covered up most of the glade it had grown in for all the sweeps it had spent on this ground. It also looked rather twisted and torn as if it had escaped something terrible inside it. The branches still had leafs and they were so thick that if they would snap and fall down the unlucky one under them would be crushed.

Rufioh quietly landed on the ground not far away from the tree. He took a deep breath of the night air before calling out Drakars name. Another hush was heard from behind the oaks trunk and a familiar orange blooded troll stepped out from behind the tree. After him came a few other trolls. One at the same age as Drakar and Rufioh, he had long wavy and curly hair tide up in a ponytail. He was wearing a white puffy armed shirt along with a dark forest green vest. His pants were black and he had black boots as well. His horns were pointing back and were similar to goat’s horns. He was holding a book close to his chest and his iris were telling that his blood colour was the same as the colour on his vest. His name was Lanoso.

After him came three younger trolls. They were all around the same age as Karkat and Tavros. They all looked pretty different from each other. Two of them were male and one female troll. The female troll had a lighter green blood colour. He could see it. She had big front teeth, small horns that reminded him of a howlbeasts ears, long black hair reaching her thighs and she was wearing a black dress with long arms and a black cape. One of the males had messy short hair, clear blue eyes, pretty big front teeth as well and he was wearing glasses. He was also wearing a blue cape with a hood. His clothes pretty loose and had a darker grey colour. The last of them had a black cape, a dark-red shirt with black vest. Black pants and boots. His hair was rather short as well with side bangs combed to the left. His irises were red telling off his blood colour. They all stood quietly and waited by the tree trunk, barley even looking at Rufioh or the others.

Rufioh gave them all a glare. Was this… all? No one else? Only them? Seriously!? Rufioh broke the silence by almost yelling out his questions. “Is this all!? No more!?” Lanoso flinched and backed up a little, clenching his book closer to his chest. He hated loud noises. Drakar frowned and nodded. “Please keep the volume down! And yes… these are who survived the revolution. I told you it wasn’t a proud sight! But it better than nothing. Besides, I have more news to share.” Rufioh couldn’t believe it. He had hoped that more of the village people in that kingdom had survived. The more the better for his plans. But it was better than nothing as Drakar said, but he was still both surprised and disappointed. When he felt done with his nagging he nodded and allowed Drakar to speak. “Tell me everything! I have to know!”

Drakar told them all to sit down by the tree. As soon as they all felt comfortable he began talking.

“Now, you know that a revolution has been taking place at the kingdom in east! We’ve been talking about it for weeks and it finally broke out. It was held for three days it was a complete bloodbath! Village people, soldiers, guards and animals! Everything in the air and then all over the place! I lost what little I had and so did these. We’ve made it out alive. However… The queen ruling that kingdom was killed of course and all of her subjects as well for that matter. But… you remember that she had two daughters? Right?”

Rufioh nodded while listening. “Of course. Two half siblings, like most of the royalty around here. Didn’t that queen had a little too much liking to the wine as well? Probably what caused her to get the whole damn kingdom after her… However, yeah she had daughters.”

“Apparently… they’re alive.”

“What!?” Rufioh stood up with a quick gesture. He couldn’t believe his ears. Was the stupid princesses alive!? “How can you be so sure!? Didn’t you say the revolution war was a bloodbath?”

“Of course it was! But the princesses escaped thanks to their mother. So they’re out there somewhere.”

“Do you have any idea what’s going to happen if they reach one of this kingdom castles?”

“Of course we know, you jerk. They would talk about the revolution and several of us lower blooded trolls will be dropping faster than flies…” The red blooded troll frowned while speaking so suddenly. He was tired of listening to Rufiohs yelling. They had all been tired from their long travel and he would appreciate some rest soon. Rufioh gave him a long glare before he turned to Drakar again. “But… have the word about the revolution hit the streets yet? Have you heard anything from the town yet?”

Lanoso quickly shook his head and gave Rufioh a serious look. “No it hasn’t, which is a good thing. The word shouldn’t be heard so soon. It would be a good thing to lay low for a while. If the word would spread about this the kingdom here would suspect that a new revolution will soon start here. The royalty would kill trolls faster than flies like Dave said to prevent that from happening.” Rufioh blinked and took a moment to think. It did sound pretty right. He then asked a question that did not quite fit into the subject.

“Who’s Dave?”

“I’m Dave… It’s my name.” The red blooded troll mumbled. “It’s not my birth name though. We all changed names after the revolution. Not Drakar and Lanoso though. They kept theirs. But we brave ones changed to new to lay low for a while.” Both Lanoso and Drakar smirked a little at that comment. The brave ones huh? They sure knew how to fight of course, but they were better at running away. Rufioh frowned a little before he continued.

“Just one more thing… Do you all think that they can be here? I mean around here? Do you think they might have traveled to this place?” He did not get a very good answer on that question. None of the others were sure but it could be a possibility. They kept on talking and planning upon the new plans for this kingdom. It was the strongest one since it was three kingdoms in one! If they should start a revolution here they had to plan it well and safely. But Rufioh had made up his mind. He wanted it to happen! He wanted to die trying!


	17. A spiral of secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe it's been almost a year since this was updated...   
> I had no inspiration but it came back a while ago. WIll be updating this story later on if possible. I wonder if anyone is still reading this.... Sorry for spelling errors! Will be fixing it later on.

A soft squeak escaped Vriskas lips as she splashed her face with the cold water. She waited a moment before putting her hands into the bowl in front of her, catching up water in her cupped hands. Once again she splashed the water over her face, rubbing it in slowly. It helped her wake up better. She shivered a little before reaching for a towel nearby, gently drying her face. Another night had passed, without anything exciting at all… Well except for the engagement everyone kept nagging about. To tell the truth, Vriska gave a damn. Who the hell cared about who the royalty would marry? In Vriskas mind, they were all just inbred jerks who gave themselves too much room. Besides, almost every troll out there outside the castle walls mated with each other, making sure to bring up their offspring’s.

Since lower blooded trolls weren’t allowed to really get married it was harder for them to stay safe and alive. Both the Serket sisters knew all about that too well. In fact the system weren’t that complicated after all. Both Aranea and Vriska were half-sisters, like most other trolls around. It was rare for trolls to have the same parents, at least, the same mother and father. Since they had been born and raised at sea they had seen a lot. Slaves, births, deaths… Everything. Their mother, Mindmang, a beautiful, mad and downright crazy troll woman had raised them well on her pirate ship. Yes, their mother had in fact been the greatest pirate at sea, always hungry for doom and treasure. She never even told them who their fathers had been either since she meant it never mattered to a pirate.

Vriska sure missed her childhood at the boat. The plundering of richer trolls, the songs, stories, the fresh and salty air… She wished she could go back. She had plans to begin with. One day, she and her sister would leave this place, get a new ship and become the new Serkets of the sea! Fear all over the world and on their way to new adventures. And a new life… The Serket blood should flow n in new veins after they were gone! But it was just a silly dream… As she returned to reality the only sea in front of her was the bowl with water she had just washed her face in. It also reminded her that she should get ready for the new day. Princess Feferi was probably waiting for her by now.

By making sure she was fully dressed and ready she then left her room in high speed. She knew she weren’t allowed to run around the castles hallways, no matter what floor she was on. But Vriska didn’t care! If she knocked some poor bastard over with a tray of glasses on her way to the princess, it was a big victory for her! It came suddenly came up to her now that she was late! She should have been checking on Feferi for about half an hour ago! Well, who cares!? Vriska wasn’t really even Feferis caretaker! It wasn’t HER job to make sure the royalty woke up on time. Feferi already had several other servants to look after her. She sometimes got dressed by them, she could have her breakfast at bed if she wanted or just sleep in! Lucky bastard…

Vriska took some time to allow her thoughts hit through her mind like sharp stabs from a knife. But she would never say anything to anyone about it of course. It was enough to send you to your grave. Come to think about it… was that the only thing highbloods ever thought of? Killing other trolls!? Well, Vriskas mother sure liked to kill people off without thinking. She had taken a lot of place for being a high midblood. Maybe that was ONE of the reasons she was killed… Oh well! Past was in the past! Vriska sure would manage to get back to being a pirate again! Some day.

After tripping around the almost ridiculously huge castle, like any other of the stupid castles around, she had finally arrived at Feferis door. Without knocking politely at the door like the other servants the blue blooded troll stepped inside Feferis room, greeting her with a good morning wish. Feferi was already all up and dressed, happy to see her friend getting ready for a new day. Two servants who had just finished helping Feferi getting dressed excused themselves before heading to the door. They knew Feferi liked to be alone with her friends. Vriska explored Feferis room a little before turning to face the princess again.

“I know I’ve said it before but you room is HUGE, princess!” Vriska smirked as her eyes wandered all over the colors, furniture and accessories. She knew that the Ampora and Makara kingdom was equally big, perhaps a little smaller but they had enough to make them more than comfortable as well. She remembered something about the older prince at the Makara kingdom, Kurloz or whatever his name was again having his own huge secret garden. As for his room… She wondered what that mute creep could be hiding there. Mituna had once babbled like crazy about his “best friends” amazing ways and possessions. She had never really met the Makaras nor the Amporas fully. They had been visiting the castle before… But you could only catch them at the corner of your eye. She was interrupted in her thoughts by Feferis giggle.

“I know, like always! And it might get bigger! Mother says that I’ll get a bigger room as I grow older. I’ll probably be married by then but… Who cares! Let’s go!”

Vriska sighed a little. Of course. The Amporas would pay them a visit in… was I one or two days from now? She lost count… Soon anyway. But it was nice that Feferi didn’t take it too hard on herself. Meeting her fiancé couldn’t be THAT bad right? Sure if Vriska found out that she would be married to some lame idiot she barely knew she would end them right away. But now it wasn’t her but the princess. Maybe Feferi was better at accepting this than her older sister. Feferi was smart enough to know that with every luxury there is a price to pay. And if that price is getting married she was going to do it. It was no point in arguing with it anymore.

Feferi had already eaten her breakfast in bed of course and was ready to begin her lessons in history. Vriska found those lessons to be even more boring than kitchen work but the princess had to. Luckily for Vriska she didn’t had to attend to those lessons. She left Feferi in the huge library with two of her teachers and two servants before heading out to find herself something better to do. There was always something to do but… never anything fun. Aranea was probably busy with looking after Meenah and Vriska had no motivation trying to talk to the Captor brothers… But maybe those new girls? Sure her first impression on them didn’t go so well but maybe she could give them another try.

It took her some time to look around the castle but she only managed to find Latula. She was working together with Mituna with stitching together blankets and pillowcases that had been torn. Of course they did this along with three other servants. Vriska had asked them where Sollux and that Terezi was hiding, not because she wanted to know of course. Mituna had said that they was outside in the huge garden by the fountain. For what reason!? Vriska thanked them for the information before heading outside. Feferi would probably had ended her lessons for today before Vriska had managed to get outside of this castle and managed to talk to someone else. It was just like Mituna said. When she had managed to reach the fountain both Terezi and Sollux were sitting by it chatting. Great… they looked like best friends. Sollux had probably told her about all the bad stuff Vriska had done.

Vriska slowly walked up to them, carefully listening to their conversation. They were just talking about usual stuff? Just killing time together, and Sollux had made Terezi smile and laugh. She had been so sad, angry and scared since she arrived here and Sollux felt so bad for her and decided to try to make her think about something else. As soon as Sollux noticed Vriska he paused in his sentence and sat up better. Vriska rolled her eyes and tried to look as friendly as she could.

“So… You two seem to have a nice time? Is it love I smell?”

Both Sollux and Terezi frowned at her. Despite the fact that Terezi was now blind she could still picture how stupid Vriska looked at the moment.

“Very funny Vriska. But I’m trying my best to get new friend here. You know, what you will never have?” Vriska gave Sollux a glare before she turned to Terezi on the side. She had giggled a little at the comment Sollux just gave. It was in fact rue that they had just become good friends. After Sollux had opened himself up to talk about his past she felt that it would perhaps be fair if she shared her story as well. The two Pyrope sisters had in fact lived in the kingdom ruled by the Lalondes. But during the revolution as they had explained when they arrived, their mother Redglare had been killed. They had nowhere else to go until they had travel for days and found this kingdom. The Peixes kingdom. They also knew that two other kingdoms were located a few days away from this castle. But they didn’t have any wishes on visiting them anyway. As long as they were alive, it was alright.

“Whatever Sollux… But you should know that I DO have friends! The princess for example!”

“She’s friends with everyone. Oh my you sure must feel special…” Sollux chuckled a bit under his lisping while Terezi only giggled louder. Her giggle was raspy and annoying to Vriskas ears.

“Oh yeah!? Well it must feel sooooo much nicer to become friends with a blind girl! But… that must be the case right? If she had eyes she would know how you look like and then she wouldn’t be your friend!”

Terezi was growing a little tired of their nagging. She frowned again, tugging her bandage over her eyes a bit. “Hey you! Vriska or whatever your name is… You’re annoying and you ruined our nice time. Can you leave!?” Vriska frowned again.

“Oh! I’M annoying!? Have you heard your own voice!? Now THAT’S annoying! Also, what gives YOU the right to boss me around!?”

“You’re annoying!”

“No YOU are!”

“…”

Vriska thought for a moment before she sat down next to them both by the edge of the fountains, of course with a little space between them. This wasn’t exactly going well. She tried to think about something to talk about. Something easy and ordinary.

“Alright, how about we start all over? I’m Vriska, you’re Terezi and that’s Sollux. We’re all stuck here for the rest of our life and we all have a sad past. So, how are you two doing?”

They both turned quite surprised that it was Vriska who decided to swallow her pride. But it was maybe for the best. She knew that Sollux was right. She didn’t have any friends except for her sister and Feferi. And she could need someone else to talk to sometimes. It would be nice. The huge castle, the mean staff and the days just… seem to stay the same. It would be nice with a little change sometimes. And maybe it would be nice to know who she would be living with for the rest of her life.

Terezi and Sollux both sat all quite for a while before they decided to continue her conversation.

“Well I’m doing pretty good. My brother is drooling over Terezis sister.”

“That’s new.”

They sat all quite for another moment before a small snicker escaped Terezis lips. It escalated quickly as the three of them started to laugh together. They didn’t need more to become better friends than that.

After a while they had been sharing some stories, interests and just been talking with each other. It had actually been a pretty nice time for the three of them. Maybe they all could share this place with each other. At least until they all grew up and could be able to control their powers. But even if they could their place in the spectrum would be the same. Nothing would change it. Suddenly Vriska remembered she had to meet up Feferi after her lessons! She had promised! With that she quickly excused herself to hurry back to the castle. As she hurried down the long path up towards the castles entrance something suddenly caught her eye. It was someone hiding in the garden on the right side behind the huge rose bushes. The garden itself was like any other kingdom, huge! There was flowers, paths going everywhere and pretty much impossible to look after. But on a bench behind the huge rose bushes she could swear she saw someone hiding.

Carefully she went closer. She could make it back quickly. She just wanted to see who it was. As Vriska carefully and as quietly as she could walked closer she was met by a shocking sight. It was two people! One of them was her sister and the other one Princess Meenah. It wasn’t that shocking to see them of course. But the kissed each other! Here! In the garden!? Of all places and… Why did they kiss!? Aranea tried her best to stand still while the princess planted kiss after kiss onto her caretakers lips. Passionate but yet quickly and stressful, just as like they knew they had to be careful but needed it. Vriska stared at them. All in silence, She wanted to do something but what? Should she ignore it or tell them to stop?

Suddenly Aranea broke the kiss and Vriska hid better behind the roses as well, making sure not to be seen. Aranea panted softly and tried to ignore the facts that her cheeks had already turned blue. She mumbled something Vriska couldn’t really hear but it must have been something about the situation of course. Aranea probably tried to understand why they did this, in daylight and in such a place where they could be found so easily. But if she knew her princess well it probably was because of the rush they received from it. While trying her best to melt the whole scene, Vriska quickly escaped from the garden as fast as she could. She could talk about this with Aranea later. Probably tonight if she was lucky.

Aranea brushed some pollen from her dress while trying to remain calm about this. She was so afraid that someone might have seen them. Meenah on the other hand only smiled wider as she gently stroked her fingertips over her lips, satisfied with the kisses.

“Was is really necessary to do it here!? Now!? Your highness-“ 

“Meenah. Call me Meenah!”

“Fine. Princess Meenah. You couldn’t just have… waited until tonight? Like always?”

Aranea did like Meenah a lot of course and she  did secretly love the kisses and attention she received from the princess but… She was engaged! Meenah would be meeting her fiancée soon. So what was the point in getting too close to each other now? It would only hurt more when the day of the wedding came by. They had honestly been kissing at night on Meenahs room. No one knew about it and no one should know about it. Otherwise the queen would know and then… It would be some trouble. Meenah sighed and then took a deep breath of fresh air. The garden was filled with flowers. The scent of sirens and roses filled her with happiness and… did she dare to say it? Lust! But Aranea was stiff and stern. She refused to let the love scent from the garden take over again!

“We have to get back to the castle now. Your history lesson about to start. And I beg you! P-please be more careful next time. There are servants everywhere you know! And don’t let me get started on the guards! Your punishment won’t be so bad but MY definitely will! So I’m begging you Meenah, no more of this behavior outside of your room.”

“But what is the reason of loving someone if I can’t show it!?”

“Then DON’T love me!”

“That’s easier said than done, Aranea!”

Meanwhile, Feferi and Vriska was sitting in the library together. Vriska had just arrived and Feferi had been stuck in a book for a while now. But it was totally alright. Vriska had a lot on her mind anyway so it was fine by her to sit around, being quiet. She deeply wished she hadn’t seen a thing. She knew about it but… She also knew the punishment for it. Maybe if she thought about something else. It was going to be alright… Quietly she carefully rested her eyes on the book Feferi was reading. The cover was softly brown colored, the back was golden and the pages had slowly taken a more beige color. Vriska had forgotten what it was all about. She had completely shut down when Feferi explained the story. It was not important right now.

“Hey… Feferi?”

“Hmm?” Feferi slowly looked up from her book, observing Vriska with a smile. Vriska had no idea how Feferi could stay so happy all the time but that was a mystery. While chewing on her lower lip the now worried and confused Vriska had to figure out a question. She was almost ready to ask if Feferi knew that Meenah and Aranea had this secret… thing together. Perhaps she knew and perhaps she didn’t. What if Feferi already knew but decided not to bother? Feferi and Meenah had a close bond and Vriska knew they spoke about almost anything together. They were both good snitchers too. But what if she didn’t know? Would that be too big of a risk to bring up the subject now? Maybe it was just for the best to keep quiet about it until she had spoken with Aranea. Her sister couldn’t be this stupid! Or actually… she could.

“Nothing…” With a low voice she turned her head, staring out of the window that showed them the garden. The huge backyard. Everything. But Vriska could even spot glints of the sea. How? She knew it was nearby. The Peixes castle was nearby the sea. Seedwellers... Vriska was still trying to figure out a better plan to get back her old life, but also what to do when the other kingdoms came to visit. It could be fun. At least something else would happen. She might as well get herself a book to read. At least while she was thinking to herself about pirate life, water and getting her hands on a big boat.

Both Sollux and Terezi were still in the garden. They had been taking a small walk through the paths, roses, hedges. If Terezi could see she would have noticed the huge labyrinth further down the hills. But that was not necessary, at least not now. To be honest, when would that become handy? Stupid decoration to show off your status and money? Both of them had bonded pretty well and seemed to click a bit in their friendship. Sollux had said that he found her pretty tolerating to be around. Terezi took it as a compliment, what else could she do with that? She admitted her was a bit cranky and sarcastic, but it gave him a nice personality. It suited him.

“So… do you miss your eye vision? I mean of course you do but… You’ll be alright?” Sollux did his best not to sound rude. It would be annoying to pick a fight the same day you made a friend. Terezi didn’t answer right away. What could she answer? Of course she did but… She couldn’t get it back so she’d better just get used to it. She shrugged a little as they kept slowly walking the biggest path that led down from the castle, past the rose garden and down to the grass. Terezi could feel the scent from the flowers, the birds singing and the water around her so much better. Her other senses must be getting stronger thanks to her blindness. That was a comfort.

“I suppose I will of course. But I’ll just have to rely on my other senses then. My hearing is better and I can… smell a lot better. I mean… I can feel the scent of the roses so clearly.” She took a deep breath and let the scent fill her lungs. What kind of roses were these? They were so… full of life? Stupid was to put it but she didn’t know how else to put it. Sollux on the other hand found it quite interesting. The roses were planted close to the castle and were positioned much further up. They was far from them by know and yet she felt their scent!? Impressive to be honest. They later sat down on the grass after their walk, now just simply enjoying the day. The warmth from the sun, the sound of the bees and birds flying around and the gentle breeze was wonderful. It almost made them both forget about their sad situation. Just a moment of peace would be enough.

“Say, I’m quite impressed about your strong sense of smell. The roses are far from here you know.” Sollux chuckled a little when he could see a weak smile form on Terezis lips. She deserved to smile. Terezi nodded and felt the grass between her fingertips as she gently stroked the ground. The grass gave off a nice scent too. So did the air and water further away from them. She actually forgot about her blindness for a while and enjoyed the moment.

“Well, I’m pretty surprised myself! Everything is so different. But in a good way.” She took another deep breath. As she inhaled the air a well familiar scent his her nose and airways. She could almost taste it as well. She froze on the spot. All quiet. Maybe it was just imagination after everything that had happened to her, probably just her mind playing tricks on her. She inhaled again. Even this time the scent was just as strong, no if not stronger! She had to think. Was this really true?

Sollux had already noticed her sudden reaction and sat up better. Was she alright? He wasn’t sure. She was probably not either. “Umm, Terezi? Is everything alright? You seemed distracted.”

Terezi kept her silence for a while, biting her lower lip as she thought. “Well… I just-“

“Yes?”

“I think I… smell blood.”

The uncomfortable silence that was now all around them sent shivers down Sollux spine. Was she serious? Blood? Sollux took a deep breath trying to find and trails of the scent of iron in the air. He couldn’t smell anything. Terezi could feel his nervous reaction and try to shake the subject off with a chuckle.

“B-but perhaps it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. I mean… I’ve been through a lot lately and… m-maybe it’s just a result of trauma?”

Sollux agreed on that. It was true that the Pyrope sisters had been through a lot. And after seeing that much death, blood and injustice it wouldn’t be a surprise if it would haunt them for life in small doses. Yet Terezi couldn’t shake it off. The smell was still there. Around her. Or… no not around her! It came from the breeze from the right! From the forest? Or was it outside the walls? It kept on for 2 minutes until Terezi had enough. She had to find out where the scent came from! She slowly got up on her legs asking Sollux to follow her. She also needed his help and eyes for this. Sollux wasn’t sure about it but Terezi was a stubborn person. She needed to find out! Now!

They left the garden area by walking the huge lawn. The castle was no far away from them and they were reaching the forest area. The area was along with the castle surrounded by a big wall protecting it or preventing people from leaving. You could of course leave the gigantic area in other ways and the forest area along with the sea area was open. The trees and branches gave a scent that Terezi recognized. The blood did come from the forest! She pulled Sollux shirt telling him to keep his eyes open. Did he see anything? Anything suspicious?

As they kept walking nearby the trees they felt the scent stronger. Now Sollux felt it too. It was blood in the air! Terezi had been right all along. Her sense of smell was incredible in his book! But now… where did it come from? Sollux agreed on walking around the area some more. The scent soon got stronger through the trees. They could also hear flies buzzing. After a short while they stumbled upon a gruesome scene. Sollux quickly stopped Terezi from walking any closer. In front of them a deer was hanging from a tree. It was placed upside down with its throat slit. From what Sollux could tell it had been fully drained of blood. Under the corpse was a small puddle of blood, probably what remained from the poor beast. This was of course not the work of another beast hunting for food. This was a troll’s work.

“W-what’s going on? The smell is awful!” Terezi quickly covered her mouth and nose with her hand. This was too much to handle at once. Sollux walked closer to get a better view. Why would anyone hunt like this? And why leave so much behind and only take the blood? He carefully mumbled out words while observing the scene.

“It’s a deer. And it’s hanging from a tree, slit throat and drained of all body fluids… Some hunters are real freaks.”

Terezi stood there all silent while taking in the information. From what Sollux later could explain they were not so far from the castle wall and whoever had done this was hunting on private property. But why? Terezi knelt down to feel the ground with her fingertips. It was dry.

“Sollux… Can you see any footprints?”

Sollux observed the ground around as he looked down. At first he couldn’t see much that looked like footprints. But he after a closer look he did find some. They weren’t his or Terezis. They were bigger and some seemed to have been messed out in the dirt. Like as if someone had tried to cover up for themselves. Interesting. Sollux walked up to the wall, looking up a little. He wondered if someone had climbed over. He couldn’t see much else to be honest. But he later noticed that the footprints stopped a little bit from the wall. Had the guilty one jumped that high to escape? Or… Sollux knew that some trolls could fly. And whoever had done this must have been able to fly. He wondered if they should keep this a secret for a while until better proof came up. After explaining what he had seen for Terezi they left the area together. It was time to head back to the castle anyway.

 

At the exact same moment a certain jade blooded troll licked her lips as she watched a little bird drinking from the bird nest placed in the garden. Kanaya was sitting on a bench in the Amporas huge rose garden, enjoying the sunlight as much as she could. It helped her relax and get her mind of… other things. But that bird kept distracting her. She didn’t want to think so much about it but he could help her blood thirst take over her mind. She needed blood and she had no control over her development. It was a shame that the Leijons weren’t here. They were great hunters and had sometimes helped the Maryam sisters with preys they could drain on blood. Kanaya weren’t the best at getting her own blood. She was… a pretty bad hunter herself. It wasn’t her cup of tea.

The bird quickly flew away and she felt a little better. If she didn’t have anything to tease her hunger with she could concentrate on the sunlight instead. Besides, Porrim had promised her to get some blood again. Only if it was just a little it would be fine. Kanaya gentle lean back her head a bit, closing her eyes while feeling the warm sunlight hit her face. The day had been rather calm. Yet she was tired. She still felt anger inside her but she hid it well. There was no need to act uncivilized. She was deeply into her own thought but she did notice that someone walked up to her, gently sitting down on the bench beside her. She didn’t want to bother looking but responded her guest.

“And what can I do for you? I’m on my break.”

“No one is ever on a break here, little lady.”

Kanaya sat up better and face the troll sitting next to her. It was Rufioh. She hadn’t spoken to him at all since she got here and she barely even knew him. She only knew he worked at the castle as well. He gave her a rather nice smile and kept a good space between them. Kanaya had to admit he was polite in that way. She gave his wings a look before facing him again. If only she had wings herself. Then she could have left this place with her sister long ago.

“I know I know… They’re quite the conversations tarter aren’t they?”

“I apologies for staring. I usually never do such thing.”

“Well, every troll is born with a special thing or talent. My kind just happens to be born with wings and yours… a thirst for blood.”

Kanaya flinched as he said that. He didn’t have to rub it in. She couldn’t help it was her faith to suck blood from other trolls and creatures. It was who she was. But why was he even bringing it up!? She gave him a glare and noticed how he smirked.

“I know it was you and your sister who killed those chickens. You needed the blood right?”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell. Actually, I have a proposition for you both. “

Kanaya kept glaring at him. She didn’t want to hear it. Or did she? What could he have to offer them both anyway? A key for freedom she hoped but that could never be it.

“What proposition? And do I even want to hear it?”

“I think you would. You see, It’s rather stupid and dangerous for both of you to kill in the kings own yard. He will notice sooner or later. And people around here talks and gossip more than they breathe air. To keep your profile low I suggest you hunt on the outside.”

“And HOW are you expecting that to happen? We are not allowed to leave the area.”

“That’s where I come in. I have wings. I fly over the wall everyday to deliver junk or letters for other royalty. I come across a lot of wild animal in the woods I pass. I can bring you blood. As much as you like or need.”

Kanaya felt confused. Why would he do that for them? Did he really want to help them? And why hadn’t he talked to Porrim? Or… maybe he already had? She thought for a moment before she turned at him again.

“But why would you do that? What do you want in return?”

“We can discuss that later. To make sure you can trust me and see what I can offer, Meet me here in the garden tonight. Bring your sister and you shall have your first dose of blood from me. Does that sound alright?”

“A-alright.”

“Perfect. See you both later.”

With that he rose up from his seat and left the area. Kanaya was both confused and relieved. Both relived that perhaps they didn’t have to hunt anymore but confused about the strange deal out of nowhere. She had to talk to Porrim as soon as possible.

 

Meanwhile Porrim had just finished chapter three in the book she had found. That book from a writer who apparently knew their mother. This writer had wonderful ideas and the story was almost alive. A typical love story you could say but it had much more to get interested in than just the love itself. It almost felt like the writer had let out their own feelings into the story. She closed the book and hid it under her pillow. She could finish it later. Sooner or later she had work to do. As a chamber maid she had to be thinking about what the princes needed. As she was just about to leave the room the door opened and Kanaya stepped in. Porrim greeted her kindly as she closed the door behind her sister.

“Porrim, I have to tell you something important.”

 

Meanwhile in the forest a young troll was running and panting. She had been running all night without resting and was soon reaching her limit. If she didn’t stop she would collapse right on spot. But did she have the time? The cloak hiding who she was wouldn’t be enough to save her forever. Sooner or later she would have to step forward to whoever she came across in the future. She hid herself behind her black cloak, resting against a tree. She then dug into her pockets, pulling out a little bag of coins and jewelry. This would be enough to help her get a room to stay in and some food for a while. But for how long? She couldn’t be thinking like that right now. She needed to get into town to get supplies for her travels. No time to waste. With that she took a few breaths before she began traveling through the woods again, finding the path towards the town. It would be a long travel and she needed to get moving.

After a short while she stumbled out onto a big path. Was this the path leading towards the town? She hoped so. While walking down it she noticed some other trolls walking on the path as well. Quickly she pulled the hood down a little more to cover her eyes before she continued walking towards them. Maybe they knew where the town was located. She needed help after all. While approaching them she could hear them talking about shoplifting. Three younger trolls at her own age were talking to a older one. He had black and orange hair. She didn’t want to be too sure but she could swear she knew the blue blooded young troll with the group. When they noticed her getting closer they quickly switch their subject. She slowly stopped in near them.

“Excuse me kind travelers. But do you perhaps know where I could find the nearest town? I’m not quite sure I know where to find the right way.”

Drakar looked at her for a moment without speaking. He didn’t seem so sure about what to do. But after a short while he nodded, pointing out in front of them to the path.

“Indeed we do, miss. We’re heading there ourselves. Would you like to join us?”

She nodded, happily for the help they offered. She was not quite sure if she could really trust them but they seemed nice. While walking a few footsteps behind them she could notice the green blooded troll was staring at her now and then. It was Jade. She could have sworn the cloak the troll was wearing looked familiar. Drakar continued to talk to Dave about a good way to “get a hold on things” without anyone knowing. The mysterious troll miss already knew that they were talking about stealing. She didn’t bother though. In times like these it would happen. They came from the land that had been taken by the revolution. She knew it. It was good that they didn’t know who she was herself. She needed to keep her profile low for a while.

After a while with would have been another half hour they could finally see the town and market area ahead of them. The landscape was pretty big and it took a while to reach the town and market from the castles. It even took a day or two to travel from castle to castle. But from the kingdom where the troll miss was from it had been a four days travel. She hoped she could get help here. As they entered the market area she thanked them kindly and quickly dug into her little bag, handing Drakar a three silver coins. Drakar flinched and thanked her deeply for the money. Maybe they could even buy something while they were here. But he was going to teach the younger ones how to survive. And with that he meant stealing.

While the mysterious troll miss left the group and carefully walked into the crowd Drakar told the other trolls to check the area a little. They needed food and some other supplies. Since they now got some extra money on hand they could buy a little from different shops and stands but if any of them could steal something on the way it would be great. The one who had made the best progress lately was Jade. Drakar had made sure that they learned the proper way to sneak their hands into pockets and bags without people noticing. He had made sure that they practiced a little before they went here. And it was important that they didn’t cause any big commotion. They had to be able to leave quickly if anything went wrong.

Jade walked away to buy some fruit, Dave was getting some bread and John had been requested to buy paper for Lanoso. Lanoso had given him money for it so it shouldn’t be a problem. Drakar on the other hand carefully slid through the crowds, managing to get his hands on smaller objects he was sure no one would really miss. He knew exactly what he was doing. He had been stealing his whole life to survive.

While the group of trolls continued their business the young troll miss had managed to take a look around the market area. The town was bigger and a lot of different shops met her eyes. But who should she talk and ask for help? Or maybe she shouldn’t even… What if they truly knew who she was? Would she be killed? It didn’t take long before she knocked into another troll and fell down. Her hood flew back as she hit the ground. Her head and face was showing. She had short cut black hair, a lilac headband, pretty lilac eyes and black lips. At first no one seemed to barely notice her until a yelp came flying across the air.

“P-Princess Lalonde!?”

Lalonde turned to see that green blooded troll from before. Jade quickly covered her mouth in panic. Oh no! Now she messed up. Suddenly a few guards nearby took the attention to their minds and hurried to the spot. Lalonde quickly tried to stand up to get away but it was too late already. She was caught. So much for that… before she was completely surrounded she grabbed the little bag from her belt, grabbed something from it and then she tossed it away. It landed right in front Jades feet. Lalonde met her eyes for a short moment before she straightened her back and nodded.

“There’s no need for violence. I’ll come with you.”

Jade quickly grabbed the little bag from the ground and hid it in her pocket. With that the princess was taken away from the area by the guards. The symbol they were carrying on their clothes was Peixes symbol. She would have to meet the empress herself in a while. For Lalonde it didn’t matter. She knew this would happen sooner or later anyway. But why so soon? Jade gulped and ran from the scene. She had to tell Drakar about this. It would be news for Rufioh later.

The day slowly went on for each and every troll. When the day was reaching to its end it was time for the two Maryam sisters to meet the Nitram troll. Kanaya had explained to Porrim about the offer that Rufioh had made, not all of it but it was enough to make Porrim interested in the meeting. They were now waiting behind the shed they had been drinking blood before. They waited for him to arrive.

After a short while he came around. They had made sure it was dark outside, no one had seen them which was good. Rufioh slowly stopped in front of them with a smile. He was carrying a bag with him. Porrim made sure that Kanaya stayed back a little. She wanted to be sure it wasn’t a trick.

“Well? Why have you called us here?”

“I have a proposition for you two.”

Rufioh dug into his bag with a smile. He soon pulled out a bottle filled with a thick liquid. It had a dark red color. He quickly held it out to her so she could see better. Both of the sisters could feel the saliva rise inside their mouths. It was blood.

“You need blood I know that. And I can get you blood! Just think about it. You don’t need to raise a finger to hunt. I’ll do it for you.”

Porrim thought for a second. Why was he offering them this?

“What do you want in return?”

“Small favors. That’s all.”

“What… kind of favors?”

“Just a few in the future. I have a plan and I need help! You two need to get stronger for it to work though. I’ll explain everything later on but can I trust you two to help me?”

“Can WE trust YOU?”

“You have my word! I’ll make sure you two won’t be hurt. I’ll even cover up for the chickens you two killed. No one will know. I’ll bring blood from the forest for you if you help me in the future.”

Both Kanaya and Porrim thought for a while. They needed the blood… But what plans would they be a part of in that case. Rufioh seemed to be able to be trusted He promised he would help them if they helped him. But in this world you couldn’t really trust anyone. But at the same time, they had nothing to lose. They decided to go with his offer. Porrim nodded as he handed over the bottle.

“Deal. We’ll help you with whatever you need. We want them dead as much as you.”

Rufioh flinched. He hadn’t explained the plan to them. How did she… Porrim smirked while she took a sip from the bottle. She then handed it to Kanaya to let her drink as well. Porrim licked her lips, her eyes now glowing a little. She was getting a better hold on her powers. She smirked as she saw his shocked expression.

“You didn’t have to say it. I saw it in your eyes. The hate you feel for them. Also… Don’t you think my mother taught us history? I know who you are. Son of the Summoner.”


	18. Prepare for a visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updating this old dusty thing...

She didn’t say anything as she was quietly riding with the Peixes guards back to their castle. They had been traveling for a while now and were finally reaching the castle area. As they passed the entrance, down the long path and garden they soon reached the castles front.  One of the guards helped Lalonde down from the horse while a few other allowed the helpers to get the horses inside the stables. She kept her back straight while they talked. She knew what would happen next. She would face the queen soon. Queen Condense herself. But she wasn’t afraid.

After a short while they lead her inside through the door. Two trolls opened it for them. She was lead into the big hallway. She could see the decors and colors. Everything looked stunning. It wasn’t that big of a surprise since this was the home of the richest trolls in the land. After letting her eyes land on each and every beautiful item a troll came by, telling them to follow. They walked through the castle, up the stairs and all the way to the crown room. As expected for Lalonde, the queen was sitting on the big throne, with a smirk. She must have already heard the whole situation.

Lalonde noticed the looks she was given while she walked forward down towards the thrones. Both of Condense’s daughters were sitting by her sides. The older one looked awfully bored while the younger one sat with a straight back all focused. When finally getting close enough to the thrones she stopped with two guards behind her. Lalonde made a curtsy in front of them before standing up straight again. She faced the queen with no fear at all.

Condense waited for the hall to be silent from the whispering until she took the situation in her own hands. With a long glare at the lilac blooded troll in front of her she stood up.

“State your name, young lady.”

“Lalonde, my queen.”

A snicker was heard through the hall. It was from the queen.

“Princess Lalonde I suppose? I know where your castle is located. Or were…”

Lalonde sighed and nodded slowly. It was true. Her home and family was no more. She didn’t have much to say either. What was the point in even trying to hide her shame. Condense soon continued.

“I assume you already know why you’re here. You have failed your own bloodline by letting your kingdom getting taken from you by peasants and middle class. Your mother was a shame to royalty and you… are nothing.”

Lalonde didn’t say a word. She was only listening to the harsh words flying across the room. The only thing she could do was to nod and listen. She noticed how other servants and guards were looking at her. She assumed they thought she was both humiliated and in pain. To think she was in such state as she was for being royalty. How embarrassing.

“Princess Lalonde. You are here by stripped of your name and title. From now on you’re lower than a rust blood. Lower than burgundy. You have the same status as a mutant. Despite the fact of your blood being of royal color you still have no right to what you should truly have been worth. You will serve for the rest of your life. Is that clear?”

Meenah looked up a little from her boredom thoughts. This was actually getting interesting. She had never been through something like this. To believe a princess lost everything in a single moment. Feferi on the other hand felt rather sorry for Lalonde. She couldn’t help or do anything of course. Lalonde only nodded again, keeping her back straight. She wouldn’t let this hurt her at all. “Yes, my queen. I understand.”

Condenses smirk soon faded as she continued.

“However… I will not keep you in my castle. Such shame will not be brought upon my presence. You will be sent to either Amporas or Makaras. They can take you in, but I refuse. Since I feel generous, I will allow you to choose your faith. Where will you be sent?”

Lalonde thought for a moment. She felt a shiver down her spine as she thought about this. She had heard about the Makaras. There was no way she was going to them. The grand Highblood would allow his sons to skin her alive just for fun. If there would have to be between these two options then it has to be the Amporas. She sighed and looked and looked up to face Condense again.

“I choose to spend the rest of my life as a servant for the Amporas, my queen.”

“In that case we’ll send you away as soon as possible. But perhaps we could keep you here for the night. But in the morning you’ll be send off to the Amporas. Enjoy what’s left of your stay here. Send her away!”

With that the guards to her sides grabbed her arms and lead her out of the throne hall in silence. She ignored the stares from the other trolls around her. Even if her situation wad both tormenting and humiliating she would let it get to her. Condense sighed and shook her head as she watched the young girl being led away. She gave both Feferi and Meenah a glare before she straightened her back. “Now you see what happens if you lose your control over those underneath you. Don’t ever let them stand taller than what they’re meant to. It’s better to be feared than loved, my little mermaids.”

Vriska, Terezi and Sollux were standing against the wall in the room as well. They had been observing the situation in silence just like the other servants and staff. Terezi growled a bit by the unfair judgement brought upon the damned. Even though she hated the royalty for what they did it was still unfair for an innocent princess to be thrown to the ground like that. Vriska only rolled her eyes, mumbling at the teal blooded troll to be quiet. “If I wear you I would remain calm and quiet. They can cut out your tongue if you don’t behave. That would be something huh? Both blind and mute.”

“What gives her the right to judge a situation like this anyway? She’s not the world itself.“ Terezi mumbled lightly. Vriska shrugged a bit, taking the moment in. “Sadly she is. Besides, judgement is only the naked reflection of the twisted mind. Who cares what anyway?”

“You should! Right should be right!” She snapped angrily at the girl next to her. Sollux gave them both a light push. He was rather tired of their nagging now. With a lisp he snapped at them both, trying to keep his voice down. “Why don’t you two yell it out so everyone hears it? Then we all will have blindness in common soon. Who cares about the princess? In this world is one for themselves or build a group for survival. Now shut up and let’s get back to work. It‘s not like anything more will happen here today.”

They did as Sollux suggested and left the throne room in silence. As soon as they were outside Vriska was at it again. She gave Terezi a light push before she asked. “Why are you so obsessed with justice anyway?”

Terezi frowned. “Because it’s important! I also have a goal in my life if you must now.”

“Really? And what’s that? Getting your eyes back?”

“I’m going to finish were my mother started. I’m going to capture the monster that cost her her own life.” Terezi mumbled as they helped her find the right way down the hallway.

Sollux thought for a moment. “What happened to you mother? She was executed right?”

“Yeah… But it was a certain trolls fault. My mother had tried to capture her for years. A liar and monster by the name Mindfang!”

It was lucky that Terezi couldn’t see. If she had she would have immediately noticed Vriska’s expression of shock.

Meanwhile back at the Makara’s kingdom it was lecture time for Kurloz and Gamzee. Gamzee as always refused to read through the boring history books and enjoyed the paintings and trophies in their huge library. The Makara family had rather gore some art to be honest. Of course they had beautiful piece of art here and there but they showed of their power by exposing their rough and gruesome side. Their blood line had killed, tortured and stepped on those lower than them for centuries. But to be fair, their behavior had a reason behind it.

Kurloz quietly red through the book he was holding, quietly flipping the pages now and then. He was sitting in a chair decorated with purple silk. They even had a huge fireplace in their library but it was mostly only lit during nights or winter. The library was huge, filled with bookcases overflowing with stories, maps, history and secrets. Some books were gifts from the Amporas and Peixes as well. Knowledge fit for royalty as they had stated themselves. Highblood had tried his best not to take the gifts as an insult.

To be honest, the history they were catching up on was their own. Their purple bloodline hadn’t always been about royalty. In fact the Makaras were high nobility in the past. Only seedwellers were counted as royalty in the past before the purple blooded fought their way up in status. With their strength, rage and strong belief the seedwellers ‘accepted’ them into a higher status. But it was still a long way to go before they were completely accepted into the royalty. Right now, the only thing that was pure royalty in this castle was Kurloz. His roots was higher than he thought and Highblood kept it a secret form him. When he was ready and old enough it was time.

The royal trolls way of breeding was not the most wonderful. It rarely included love at all! It was all about status, or the right blood color. Royal trolls had the right to breed with any troll they picked. A low or high blooded troll didn’t matter as long as the result of the offspring was right. If a higher blooded troll bred with a lower blooded troll they had the opportunity to get an offspring with a blood color between their own. For example, if a purple blooded troll mated with a yellow blooded troll the result would be either purple, yellow or any color between those two. So it was possible for them to get an offspring in any color between yellow up to purple.

That was what the royalty did. They breed with different trolls until they got the color they wanted. If they got an offspring that didn’t please the royalty in taste, it would be killed. It was cruel but it was the way it had been for centuries. It was the way all of the royal children had been breed. Sometimes it had been cases of inbreeding too… and only to keep the royal bloodline.

Kurloz quietly flipped a page again. He kept reading without much bothering his brother nagging about of boring it was to waste a day with reading about the past. Gamzee only thought about the future and that they would write their own story one day. They didn’t have to listen to the junk of the past, plus he already knew it. Equius was of course by his side, trying his best to interest Gamzee in book after book. The result was the same as Gamzee smacked every book out of his caretaker’s hands. This was a rather difficult task and had always been.

Both Meulin and Nepeta were stuck in the library as well. While Meulin was sitting on the floor next to Kurloz, her sister was resting on a couch nearby. Both of the Leijon sisters were getting awfully restless. It had been such a long time since they got to get outside and run of their energy! A hunt would hurt either… But instead they were stuck as house pets to two spoiled highblood brats. Well, Kurloz was easier to handle than Gamzee. Kurloz barely did anything at all. He wanted to have conversations but Meulin mostly refused keeping to show her displeased feelings about her new life. Nepeta was just happy to finally get some rest away from the younger prince. His games and ways of playing were draining her on energy the same way you wring water out of a towel.

“Please, your highness. It’s important that you’ll study.” Equius sighed deeply as he tried to make Gamzee listen.

Gamzee only rolled his eyes, resting against the chair he was sitting in. He gave his caretaker an annoyed look. “Why would I even bother? I already know about who we are and what we do! I’ll just want to enjoy my life a little, Equius. And I’m NOT enjoying it by wasting time on books!”

Gamzee growled a little as he snapped at his caretaker. Kurloz didn’t bother caring much about Gamzee’s behavior. It was not as if he could help him act the way he should. The future would just look crazy for them… When their father took over the thrown it was meant for them both to rule together. Their personalities were just like Highbloods, only that both of them got a half each from their father. Kurloz was more sophisticated and calm, acting like the gentleman Highblood possessed to win people over while Gamzee had his father’s rage, hidden madness and rather playful side. With both of them ruling together it would be as if Highblood never left.

As Gamzee continued to nag about how much he hated lectures a deep sigh left Meulin. Kurloz almost immediately turned to face her, closing the book and placing it aside. She only gave him a calm glare before returning spacing out again. Kurloz felt a little bad. He had offered her to read whatever she liked while he studied but she didn’t seem to bother much about the literature. To be fair he had tried all he could think about to make her feel more at home. He remembered how much she enjoyed him combing her hair though. Perhaps grooming her was the key to reach her better.

He could also spot her tail wagging side to side and her breathing was changing from calm to rather harsh sometimes. Was she angry or annoyed but Gamzee too? He gently reached hand towards her, stroking her over the head. At first she flinched by the sudden touch but soon relaxed and allowed him to touch her. He made a gesture with his free hand, asking her if she was alright in sign language.

She gave him another glare, but this time she nodded afterwards. It wasn’t enough to convince him though. Something was bugging her and he wanted to help her with it, but she had to tell him first. He tried again, making new gestures in front of her.

“Please, tell me what’s wrong. I can’t help you unless you explain to me.”

Meulin frowned at first, turning her head away from him. But after a while of thinking she turned back. Her eyes were wide open and her tail was moving slowly. Perhaps if she acted kinder he would help her out a little. Slowly she lifted up her hands, making gestures herself.

“I want to go outside. I have too much energy.”

“Outside? Not right now… I am in the middle of my lecture. Perhaps later.”

Meulin frowned at him and gave away a light hissing. “You said that before but nothing happened. I want to go outside! My sister and I need our exercise.  Olive bloods need to be outside!” Her signing became more aggressive.

He was happy that she wanted to sign with him though, despite her anger. Perhaps she was right. He lifted his eyes a bit, observing Nepeta on the couch. She seemed rather down herself. She might be tired but she seemed restless as well. Kurloz then remembered how their father had mentioned something about Olive bloods being great hunters. They had more animal instincts than any trolls to be honest. But he was still skeptical of taking them outside… They hadn’t been bounded by their company rule for that long and maybe they were still trying to escape if they got the chance.

“What are you two signing about over there?” Gamzee asked a little curiously as he had been observing his brother a little. Kurloz gave him a glare before reaching for pen and paper on the table. He wrote down a quick “Nothing!” on the note before tossing it over to Gamzee. An angry mumble escaped Gamzee as he threw the note aside after reading it. “It’s not very polite to keep secrets from your brother…”

Kurloz sighed and rolled his eyes, not caring much about it. He had his own life with his own choices. But then it hit him! Perhaps they should allow their company pets to get a chance to stretch their legs a little. Kurloz quickly reached for another paper, now writing down a suggestion. He then rose up from the chair and walked over to Gamzee, holding out the note. Gamzee snatched it out of his hands without a word.

After reading it a grin began to form on his lips. He stared up on his brother and nodded happily before tossing the note aside. With a quickly move he got up from the chair as well, heading over to Nepeta. The young cat troll flinched and almost got ready to run away as he approached her. She was yet not comfortable in his presence.

Equius as well got a bit confused about the two brother’s sudden act. He carefully walked up to the table, reaching out for the crinkled up note. He unfolded it and read was Kurloz had written. “How about we let our company pets play in the ball room?”

Kurloz had just helped Meulin up from the floor and made sure she held onto his arm as they headed for the library’s exit. Gamzee had a little more trouble getting Nepeta to follow him, but as soon as she noticed Meulin leaving she gave in. Gamzee frowned as Equius was still standing by the table, collecting the mess they left.

“Equius! Stop fooling around and get yourself over here! We have changed our plans!”

Equius sighed and nodded, dropping the books onto the table again. He quickly hurried after the prince’s and their company pets. He closed the door after them as well. They then walked down a long hallway then to the left entering another hallway. After a moment they were standing in front another huge door, decorated with black gems by the edges. Kurloz smiled al excited at Meulin before he reached out his hand and placed it on the handle. As soon as the door was opened and they stepped inside the huge hall both Nepeta and Meulin’s eyes went wide open.

In front of them was a huge room with huge windows decorated with purple curtains. The walls were decorated with paintings and two staircases were placed to the left and right, leading upstairs to a balcony with two other entrances. A harpsichord could be spotted in a corner as well. The walls were white with darker patterns and the ceiling was decorated with crystal chandeliers. But it was the size of the room that caught the two girls attention the most! It was made to run around in!

Kurloz happily held out his hand, giving Meulin the permission she wanted. Gamzee gently patted Nepeta over the head, telling her it was okay for her as well. Without warning both of the olive bloods ran out into the room, almost running on all fours. They laughed, yelled and squealed in happiness as they ran across the slippery floor, not bothering if the fell over now and then. It was the feeling of running that made them happy. They even attacked each other a little, getting their energy out.

Both Kurloz and Gamzee stared at them all fascinated. No wonder their father picked out these two trolls for them and company pets! They were wild and possessed energy for hunting. Not to mention they were cute as well. Equius leaned against the wall, happily observing the two trolls as well. It must have felt great for them to finally get the chance to live a little. Even though Equius was raised to always look up to the one’s higher than him and down on the one’s lower than him, he couldn’t help but envy the lower blooded trolls. Before he became a servant to the Makaras he would probably never had thought like that.

He was rather mean towards lower bloods back then. Not evil or anything, only… trying to explain their places to them. He shook his head and observed the room instead. Such a beautiful piece of art it was. He wondered when the next ball would be. The music, dances, food… It would probably be a long time until anything like that happened here. The Makara’s weren’t much for that stuff anyway. They preferred other kinds of entertainments.

Meulin was not chasing Nepeta around the room. They changed their running style down to all fours. How they had managed to master that skill was all thanks to their mother. They increased their hunting that way. With a dash to the left she managed to capture her sister, tackling her to the floor. Nepeta groaned a little but it changed into a giggle rather quickly. She enjoyed these games with her sister. Only Meulin could make rough games and wrestling fun.

The Leijon’s games had made an idea form into Gamzee’s mind. He remembered how Highblood had mentioned something about their hunting skills. Olive bloods needed to hunt… Perhaps they should offer their company pets a hunt. He wanted to see how they hunt. He wanted to see how they KILLED! Kurloz on the other hand was thinking about how it would feel to dance around the room with Meulin. If she danced that is. Perhaps he should teach her in that case. A prince needed to practice dancing as well after all.

Gamzee glared at the two sister’s for a while before he smirked widely. He had made up his mind. He slowly turned towards Equius, who was still leaning against the wall. He knew how much Equius hated blood and that he was a vegetarian. And he also loved tormenting him for that! Gamzee knew that they kept animals locked away for food, some they got from hunts and some they bought from the market. Mostly they bought animals from the market, sometimes dead and sometimes alive.

They had some rabbits as well, some wild and some domestic. Gamzee grinned again while thinking about them. They would be perfect for a test. Equius soon noticed how Gamzee was watching him and carefully cleared his throat. “Is everything alright, your highness?”

Gamzee nodded slowly before he answered. “Equius, I need you to do me a favor.”

“Of course, your highness.” Equius straighten his back a little. “What is it that you need of me?”

Gamzee kept his smirk on. He seemed to be awfully excited about this. “I need you to fetch me a hop-beast from our storage. A wild one… You know, the one’s reserved for dinner?”

Equius tilted his head a little by the odd request. Why did he need a rabbit? Kurloz had also heard the request form his little brother. He didn’t need to think twice at all, he knew exactly what Gamzee was after with this. Equius had a bad feeling about the request as well but did as he was told. He left the ballroom and walked all the way to the kitchen room. The wild rabbits were being held there in cages, awaiting they’re fate.

He stopped outside the room, asking a maid to bring him one of them. To be fair, he barely wanted to touch the little creature. Since he was rather strong he didn’t want to accidently kill the poor creature. Instead he asked the maid to follow him back all the way to the ballroom. He didn’t speak to the kitchen maid at all as she walked silently behind him, holding the rabbit in her arms. When arrived outside the ballroom door he asked her again to follow him inside, only to leave the rabbit. As they stepped in they noticed that the two sisters were still running around like crazy in the big room.

As soon as Gamzee saw the rabbit he grinned almost sadistic. “Wonderful! Now place the rabbit down on the floor.”

The kitchen maid did as the prince command. She gently placed the rabbit down on the smooth stone floor. The rabbit didn’t move at first. It only stared around with its huge brown eyes, panting. The maid excused herself and left the room. Equius took a deep breath, feeling awfully uncomfortable at the moment. He noticed how Kurloz looked at him from the corner of his eye. It was as if the older prince was showing him a little bit of pity for what were about to happen.

Gamzee happily yelled out at the two sisters across the room. His loud voice made the rabbit flinch in shock, making a jump at the side. “Nepeta! I got a present for you!”

Equius gave Gamzee a confused expression. Was the rabbit a present for Nepeta? A pet for a company pet? Then it hit him! Oh no it couldn’t be! The rabbit was a prey for a hunter troll!

Both Nepeta and Meulin stopped in their acts and stared over at the boys. It didn’t take them long before they noticed the rabbit. At first they didn’t seem to bother that much about it. They had both eaten already and food weren’t the first thing they thought about. The two Leijon sisters didn’t hunt for fun, only for food. They got up from the floor and slowly walked across the room, back to them. The rabbit was slowly jumping over the floor, sniffing in the air a little to get used to the wide open space.

Gamzee happily looked over at Nepeta, almost bursting with excitement. “It’s for you! Don’t you want to hunt it?”

Nepeta stared at him without a word. Her eyes wandered between Gamzee and the rabbit. She didn’t want to hunt it. She wasn’t hungry. With a slow move she shook her head, moving closer to Meulin. As expected, Gamzee frowned. He got irritated about how she refused his gift. He gave Kurloz a glare as if he wanted his brother to help out. When Kurloz shook his head as well it made Gamzee almost furious. He glared at Nepeta again, this time pointing at the rabbit.

“KILL IT!”

His voice echoed across the room, scaring the rabbit and making the other’s nervous. Meulin quickly put her arm around her sister, pulling her closer. This younger prince was mad! Gamzee were about to lose his temper and patience now. He took a step towards them, snapping at them again. He yelled at Nepeta to hunt the rabbit down over and over again. Meulin then flinched in anger as he kept yelling. It was annoying and he wasn’t making the situation better by forcing her.

“Stop it! If she doesn’t want to you can’t force her!” Meulin yelled as she stepped in front of Nepeta. Gamzee glared up at her without a word. He didn’t have much to say against Kurloz’s company pet… He crossed his arms, mumbling to himself.

“I just wanted to give her a present. You two are hunters, right? Then why don’t you hunt!?” He frowned again, but he kept his voice down at least.

“We do hunt! But only for food! This is not what we are meant to do. We only hunt animals we eat afterwards!” Meulin snapped at him, making sure to protect Nepeta at the same time.

Gamzee kept frowning but soon relaxed a bit. He soon got another idea after listening to the older olive blood.

“So you only hunt animals you’ll eat afterwards?” He grinned at them.

“Yes we do.” Meulin frowned, feeling a little bit unsure about Gamzee.

Gamzee then snapped his fingers. “Then how about you’ll kill this rabbit and we’ll have it cooked for your dinner? Sounds fair right? Then you’ve killed your own dinner, like in the wild?”

The two cat trolls thought for a moment. It felt strange and bad but not so different from how their life had been in the woods. They did kill animals and then ate them afterwards. They took care of the fur and bones as well. The blood was in good use too. Meulin sighed and looked at Nepeta. She then gently leaned in and whispered in her sister’s ear. “Maybe he’s right. And maybe you should do as he tells you. You said it before that he can get awfully mad if you don’t do what he tells you. And we never know when we’ll get out again for a hunt.”

Nepeta thought for moment. It didn’t sound that bad to be honest. A little cruel but if they ate the rabbit later it wouldn’t feel so bad. She slowly looked over at Gamzee again who smiled widely at her. His smile got even wider when she nodded. “Alright… I’ll do it.”

Kurloz and Meulin backed up a little bit as Nepeta leaned down a little to get ready for the hunt. Equius was leaning against the wall, feeling his heartbeat raising. He got problems swallowing as well. Nepeta focused on the rabbit across the room. It was slowly jumping around, making small noises. She took a deep breath, tensing herself. She was ready! The rabbit was right in her focus. Without waring she dashed out across the floor, heading in the rabbit’s direction. The rabbit immediately ran off, hurrying as fast as it could away from her.

Nepeta took up the chase after it, dashing across the floor. She hissed after it, getting closer. After a short chase she got a grip around it, sinking her teeth into its neck. The rabbit screamed in fright before a crack was heard as Nepeta bit into its neck roughly. With that is stopped moving, hanging from her jaws. Blood began dripping to the floor, hitting it with a soft noise. Gamzee laughed and clapped his hands, praising his company pet proudly. Equius on the other hand felt like throwing up. He couldn’t stay here! Without a word he ran out of the room and hurried down the hallway, away from the ballroom as fast as possible.

He didn’t matter if Gamzee would be angry with him later. He just couldn’t take this right now! Such terrible cruelty! He needed comfort from someone… Horuss and Aradia were probably busy so he thought about visiting the stable instead. Maybe he could visit Blackie again. So he did. Equius hurried out of the castle and made his way to the royal stables. He needed to see his old horse. Feeling her nice fur, strong body and scent. Oh if only he could ride on her again… That would be lovely. Escape this place for a while, out on the fields again. He kept daydreaming about it before he reached the stables. As he noticed some staff members working around the place he slipped inside the doorway.

Slowly he walked down the stable hallway, looking past the boxes. Soon he arrived at Blackie’s box. She was still here, unharmed and healthy despite her age. Equius happily greeted her and stepped inside the box. He reached out his hands, petting her on the neck while taking gently to her. Her big dark eyes met his with comfort. It filled him with hope and warmth. “Hello there, girl. I’m happy to see you so well and healthy. If you only knew what just happened… I hope you will never experience cruelty like me.”

She moved her head, giving him a bump with her muffle. He smiled warmly and stroked her over her muffle in return. He wished he could give her a treat now and then. Maybe he could! He knew it was growing apples behind the stable nearby the horse pen. He could simply pick some for her. “I’ll be right back, girl. Wait for me.”

With that he slowly walked out of the box and closed it behind him. Just as he were about to leave the stable a familiar face met him on the way. It was Aradia. Apparently she was working in the stables today.

She smiled at him as she moved her hair aside. “Hi, Equius! Are you on a break or something?”

“Oh well, not really… I mean… You could say I took one without permission.” He sighed deeply.

“Really? Talk about taking a huge risk. Oh well, guess your prince will get you later then.” She snickered a little as she stretched her arms a little.

“I know. But I don’t care right now. I want to visit my horse… I’m going to pick some apples for her. Would you like to join me?” He asked as he blushed a little.

Aradia shrugged a little. She weren’t in a hurry and spending some with a friend wouldn’t hurt.  “Sure. I can help you hold them in my apron. Let’s go!”

They left the stable and hurried behind it were the apple trees were growing. The apples were not fully developed but the horses still ate them without problem. As they began picking a few, Aradia held out her apron to collect some in. Equius felt rather picky about which apples to choose. He wanted only the best for Blackie.

“Why are you so picky anyway? They not even seasoned anyway. Just pick a few already.” Aradia chuckled as she watched Equius looked through the branches, trying to find the nicest looking apples as possible. He didn’t bother her teasing at all. Instead he enjoyed the time they spent together.

“Say Aradia? Do you think I’m a good friend?” He gave her a nervous look as he tried to reach an apple.

“Of course I do. You’re one of my very best friends. We’ve known each other for a while now right?” She smiled as he tossed the apple he just picked towards her. She caught it in her apron without problem.

“Thanks… I just sometimes wonder if I even deserve your friendship. I never been the nicest towards your kind.” He gulped a little at the last thing he said. Her kind? Was that really the best thing to say? He quickly turned towards her as if he expected her to be angry with him. To his relief she didn’t look angry at all. Instead she shrugged and looked up in the tree.

“Don’t worry about that. I haven’t really been the nicest towards your kind either. We are rather far away from each other in blood line right? Though it doesn’t matter since status and blood lines mean very little to me.” She caught another apple lying towards her gently.

Equius nodded. Aradia was right to be honest. Status shouldn’t matter that much but… He was raised to believe in it, though his life as a servant had changed it. Even though his life was almost meant to end up a servant to higher status and power he still wanted his own life.

He looked over at her again, her beautiful black hair, her curled horns and the red shade on her cheeks. She was so pretty. He smiled weakly before picking another apple. He carefully looked at it for a while before tossing it over to Aradia. Soon they had gathered around 5 apples and it felt like enough.

Aradia smiled at him again before looking around the area a little. “Don’t you find it ridiculous how big this place is? Why does royalty need so much anyway?”  

“No idea. I guess it’s a way for them to prove their power.” Equius slowly looked around as well. He never really bothered about it. He was nobility himself, well, low nobility. Indigo bloods had a higher rank than the lower trolls but it was nothing compared to royalty.

They were just about to head back to the stable when they stopped for a moment. They suddenly felt a strange smell in the air. It almost smelled… rotten? Aradia coughed a little, moving the apples to the pockets on the apron to she could let it down. “What’s that smell? Do you feel it too?”

Equius had to agree. Something smelled awful all of sudden. And it came from a small bosket not far away from the stables. Aradia headed towards it without warning, not even waiting for Equius. He flinched and hurried after. He didn’t want her to go there by herself. Of course she was strong and brave but you never knew what could hide in there.

They soon walked in through the trees and looked around. Suddenly a strong smell hit them as they came closer. Soon a shock hit them both as they noticed a corpse of a horse lying in the grass. Its throat had been slit and it was completely drained on blood. Equius fell backwards in shock and disgust. Aradia held up her hand to her mouth, covering it as the smell was terrible. It was then they noticed! It was one of their horses!

Aradia coughed but walked closer to the corpse, trying to expect it a little better. It didn’t seem to have been dead for that long to be honest. A day only perhaps. It was almost a fresh kill! Equius couldn’t stand this! Why was he exposed to so much cruelty? Why now? However, they had to inform the others about this. However had done it weren’t going to get an easy punishment.

Later after the discovery about the horse the king had been informed. Both Damara and Horuss had helped some other servants to move the dead horse out of the bosket and out on the area outside the stables. The king wanted to know what have happened and who had dared to kill his beasts. Both Damara and Horuss had noticed something odd about the corpse. It had small traces of a certain kind of dust on it. The kind of dust that winged trolls had. That dust left the wings as they fly.

Damara had fearless approached the king and explained that only winged trolls left that kind of dust trial. And from what she could see it was from a bronze blood. Highblood had almost roared with raged as heard about it. He knew who owned a bronze blood with wings. King Dualscar did… That bastard would get a visit from them. The king had demanded the mess to be cleaned up as he had stormed back into his castle, searching for his sons. They were leaving to visit the Amporas and they were leaving today!

Back at the Amporas everything was rather peaceful. Not much was happening except the usual. Cronus spent his time with Kankri while Eridan took some time to practice on his lessons. Karkat had now taken a break to take a walk out in the rose garden. All royalty seem to have roses in their gardens. Has he walked through the nice scented paths he noticed one of the vampire trolls sitting on a bench near the fountain. He quickly hid behind one of the big rosebushes. It was the younger one. Eridan’s new chamber maid.

She was humming a little to herself as she seemed to be embroidering something? He tried his best to stay away but suddenly she lifted up her head and smiled. “You can come out now. I know you’re there.”

At first he stayed all still, trying not to move. But soon it felt stupid so he came out from behind the bush, slowly approaching her with a deep sigh.

She looked up at him and smiled gently, showing her fangs. “Hello, Karkat.”

Karkat nodded in response before he walked up to the bench, sitting down next to her. “Hi, Kanaya… Long time since we last saw each other…”

She only nodded, continuing to broidering. She had the permission to do so from Eridan and it helped her to stay calm. She looked up at Karkat again. She noticed how troubled he looked. “How are you doing?”

Karkat frowned a little before he shrugged. “Awful I guess. I mean… At last I have a roof over my head and food everyday but… Why… Why did you two end up here!? I thought your shop went well?” He gave her an expression mixed between anger and sadness. It was true that the Vantas and Maryams knew each other form before. It had been a long time ago but they still remembered each other. Plus thanks to Vantas being taken in by the Amporas they had seen each other in town before.

Kanaya sighed as she stopped broidering. She looked up at him rather sad. “It was going well. I guess fate had different plans for us. That’s just how it is.”

Karkat frowned angrily. “But it’s unfair! You two were supposed to live on free! You two deserved it and- and-“

“Karkat. It doesn’t matter. I could have been worse. Remember when your father was killed and you and your brother became orphans?” She tilted her head at him.

Karkat looked away for a second before nodding. “Yes… It’s hard to forget! And… your mother took care of us?”

“At least she tried. And those years we got together still lives inside us. When you two got captured she never forgave herself. She thought you were gone but when we found out you had been taken in by the Amporas. You cannot believe how relieved we felt by knowing that the two of you were alive!” She gently reached out her hand to stroke him over the cheek.

“We never asked for it! I hated it from the very first day! And when I found out that Dolorosa was dead- I- I just…” He felt the familiar pain in his throat and the tears getting ready to fall. He shook his head, trying hard to keep it together. Kanaya smiled warmly at him, pulling him into a hug. Karkat clinched onto her, sobbing into her shoulder. He hiccupped as he tried to speak. “I-I hate it that you’re here but at the same time not! I missed you so much Kanaya!”

“And I missed you too. I’m here Karkat. It’ll be alright. Maybe not the way it was before but it’ll be better. Give it some time.” She gently stroked him over the head as she planted a kiss on his forehead. She always acted like a mother.

“I’ve given it time! I’ve given it more than enough time! It still hurts! I hate it Kanaya. I hate them! I hate this… I hate myself!” He hugged her as he yelled into her shoulder. He was angry but happy at the same time. He had missed Kanaya so much. She was like a sister to him. She had never judged him for who he was or what he was. He couldn’t believe she was really here with him again. They stayed in the garden a while, catching up a little. They needed it.

Meanwhile at another part of the castle Rufioh and Porrim met up. Rufioh offered her fresh horse blood as a part of their deal. Porrim agreed that whatever he needed help with he should have it. Rufioh brought up a part of a plan he had. He was going to need their skill of blood sucking in the future, If needed they would have to suck some guards dry. Porrim had no problems at all with it. To be honest, she started to enjoy his company. Rufioh was rather charming and it was shown that he cared a lot about his father’s unfinished work.

“I hope you’re not going through too much trouble bringing us blood.” Porrim said as she took the bottle from his hands. Rufioh only shook his head.

“Not at all. It’s not that big of a task. As long as I know you’re keeping your promise to me it won’t be a problem.” He smiled as she nodded in return.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be on your side. Thank you again. I’ll see you later.”

With that they went different ways, back to their business. If she was lucky she would have some free time to continue on the book she was reading.


End file.
